Ghost Ops: Freefall
by Kirabaros
Summary: It's a year later and the Ghosts are still at it. An asset goes missing behind Federation lines and the Ghosts are sent in to recover. Hesh and Logan along with Sequoia aka Hawk lead the way and discover that enemies lurk behind every shadow and one is most unexpected. Introducing new characters in this new series for CoD Ghosts.
1. Chapter 1

**Ghost Ops: Freefall**

 _A good friend once said that a hunter knows how to work their environment, how to read it to be able to determine how to best launch a defense or an attack. A hunter knows how to react to changes in a plan and make adjustments accordingly. It is not that much different from what is expected of ODA teams, from a team like the Ghosts. It can make the difference between living and dying and the success of the mission._

 _We got our hunter back after almost a year and things started looking up, especially rumors of a ghost that brought death. We still had a war to fight after everything with the Federation but there were memories that haunted us. The kind that we were almost too late to see…_

 **Chapter 1**

The heat and humidity was unbearable. Lt. Carter Reed took his bandana and wiped his brow. He hated the fucking jungle. He hated it with a passion but being that he was a soldier, he went where he was ordered to. The chain of command was simple. When the CO tells you to jump, you ask how high. Even if you were a spec ops team.

He sighed as he looked at the driver he was sitting next to. He rolled his eyes slightly as he adjusted his weapon and peered out his side of the vehicle. He was called to whatever they needed him to do and in this case… He was a fucking babysitter.

In most respects being a guard escort was a cushy assignment. It was a welcome break from in between scouting the wall and going deep behind enemy lines. This wasn't entirely cushy because they were behind enemy lines and they were transporting some highly valuable cargo. So there was some importance there. It was just that he was in the fucking jungle.

The last time he was in the jungle it was because he was on a recovery mission and that turned into a pissing match with a team that had a reputation for being badass. And it was over the little shit that he had a rivalry with since they first met. Echo bitch. He made a low sound in his throat.

In the end, she went willingly with him since he had been ordered to bring her in. He hated that she did that but there was good reason. The entire Ghost team was ready to fight to the death for her and he stood chance to lose a limb and his reproducing assets to the mutt that was with them. He knew of Riley's reputation and with Viking Six. Plus it paid to remember that the MWDs were not pets but trained working dogs.

He brought her in and gave his report. He found out later that she was reassigned and back out in the field. So it really wasn't a punishment in his mind especially when he heard that she had command of a group. Even the military gave special treatment though to be fair they needed every hand they could get considering now that they were pushing back the Federation. Still…

 _Charlie 6-4, Romeo 6-4 report._

Reed rolled his eyes slightly and responded, "Charlie 6-4. All clear. No signs of Fed activity."

 _Be advised that PC is under your purview 6-4._

"Roger that. All eyes on alert. ETA thirty mikes out from handoff." Reed looked out his window at the jungle, his hand never leaving the rifle he held. He knew that his men in the truck bed were with the precious cargo would guard it. Command made it very clear that it needed to get back in one piece to the handoff.

Reed had been on enough missions to know that you never asked about what you were transporting unless you wanted to spend your career being busted down to grunt work. All he knew was that it was valuable for a mission that Command wanted done and that mission was none of his business and that was fine with him. If you didn't ask questions, it built up the rep that you were trustworthy and eventually you got a mission like that.

Apart from his men, there was the driver and one other soldier who implied that the crate they were guarding was some highly valuable equipment. It caused a few of his men to snicker that he was a geek freak since the guy did look a little wiry and didn't even make army regs to join up. Didn't matter and Reed didn't care. He told his men to stow it and to keep their guard up.

Reed finished his report and put the com mike back. He looked at the driver who was looking all around while staying on the road. He joked with him, "Can you drive this thing any better?"

The driver looked at Reed with a slight look that had the man raise his hand in surrender. Whatever. To Reed this was a babysitting job and in about thirty minutes he would be done and onto his next mission. Which was probably another babysitting delivery job. No doubt that Echo bitch's doing since she had always made it clear that he was incompetent from her view. And it was the type of mission they had been doing lately with an occasional covert extract but mostly this shit.

 _Looking clear from our end LT though the tech geek looks ready to piss his pants._

That made Reed want to laugh. He didn't get how the military would even deign to recruit these kind of people that were essentially all brain and no brawn, no backbone. What good were they if they couldn't hack it? It even had him wonder how they made it past boot. Most would complain that it was the lowered standard or some shit like that. Maybe it was but Reed wasn't going to argue with that one. He replied, "Alright Hackett, leave the kid alone. Eyes sharp."

There was some static on the com and the affirmative from his team. Reed smirked and turned to look out through the windshield. What he wouldn't give to be back patrolling the wall. At least that was a challenge every day out in the field and those that patrolled deserved their ranking. Maybe they would get another sweep of the wall. It was quiet until they pulled to the handoff and that was when things started to go wrong.

Reed noticed that the area looked like there had been a unit there waiting but there was no one there. There were some scattered debris that was not part of the jungle. It had him be on alert as the driver pulled the truck to a stop. He didn't like this. Not one bit. He keyed, "Romeo 6-4 this is Charlie 6-4 do you read me, over."

There was nothing on the coms. That had Reed look around. He relayed, "Boys, high alert, watch all sides." He then tried again, "Romeo 6-4 come in, over."

There was some static but no response. Reed didn't like it. He gave it one more go, "Romeo 6-4, this is Charlie. Do you read me, over?"

The static continued. Reed wasn't going to have any more of this. They would push on. He looked at the driver and asked, "Do you know where you're supposed to go once we hand off?"

"Yes. To the FOB checkpoint."

"Then that's where we're going. Get this thing in gear and drive." Reed gestured at the gears while glancing out the windshield. "Alright boys. Look alive. Change in plans."

As soon as he said that there was a rustling sound and Reed heard one of his men shouting for whoever it was to show their hands. Reed moved to get out of the truck and stand on the step to get a good look. He could see someone starting to stumble out of the brush and he recognized one of their uniforms. He watched them stumble about and holding their hands up to show that they were unarmed. "Hold your fire. Friendly."

Directing one of his men to go check it out, Reed and his team held their weapons on the soldier that stumbled out. Reed narrowed his eyes and called out, "What happened to the rest of Romeo?"

The soldier stumbled a bit and his men held their weapons fast. Reed asked once more only to find his man being shot down. Soon the air was filled with Spanish being shouted and an RPG striking close to their vehicle. Reed held on and shouted, "Drive, drive, drive!"

The truck sped down the road as Federation soldiers popped out of the jungle and open fired on the vehicle. Reed returned fire before reaching for his com and called it in, "Command this Charlie Alpha. We've been ambushed and we're taking fire!"

 _Copy that Charlie Alpha. Proceed to FOB Checkpoint Kranz. Over._

"Roger that," Reed replied as he got back into his side of the truck. He looked at the side view mirror and noted that they were being followed by Federation vehicles. That was just perfect. He then noticed one was getting an RPG ready and called, "Kowalski, I got RPG at our six. Take him out."

 _Roger._

Reed heard the shot and the chaos that followed afterwards. His sniper expert was something to be feared and if he wanted to be honest was fair competition for Ghost team's sniper Keegan. That was moot but he was grateful he had a great shot on his team. "Take your shots as you see them Kowalski."

 _Got a man down._

"Fuck," Reed muttered. He looked forward and at the road ahead. He saw Federation coming out with guns firing at them. "Blow through," he told the driver. "Don't stop no matter what."

The driver didn't have to say anything. He drove like a crazy person, swerving to avoid damage from the natural environment and to make them a harder target to hit. It wasn't easy since it was a rather large truck to be doing that with but he managed to make it work. He managed to keep the gas pedal almost to the metal since the conditions were not ideal to be doing that.

Reed appreciated that the driver understood the situation and was trying to do his part to make sure that they got to the FOB in more or less one piece. He had called in to Command to request aerial support but it was a no go since the foliage was too thick. That just made his fucking day but he kept giving support fire to prevent his driver from being shot at. "Command, we've got Fed all over this road!"

 _Negative on the air strike. We can't see you._

Reed grunted in frustration. And it didn't help that one of his men said that they had another man hit and they were running low on ammo. At this rate they were going to have to have a lot of luck getting to the FOB. He told his men to dig in and to shoot at what they could see. That was the best they could do.

At that moment an RPG rocket hit in front of the truck causing it to be lifted. The driver tried to correct to keep all the wheels on the ground. It didn't work and the truck tipped over on its side and rolled. Reed felt himself falling forward and smacking his head on the dash or the windshield. Either way he found himself being knocked out.

It was the sound of rapid Spanish being spoken that brought awareness back to Reed. He started to slowly open his eyes and found himself being blinded and a sharp poke hit his lower back. He closed his eyes and made a slight sound. The sound of gravel told him that he was being dragged and from the look of things by his leg. He opened his eyes and twisted and waved his arms to try and gain some leverage but that only earned him a kick in the guts.

If there was one thing to say about military gear it was that even though you could get hurt, it hurt less when wearing fifty pounds worth of gear. It cushioned the blow. Reed was grateful that he was still wearing his tactical vest but it did nothing to help him get free as he was yanked painfully across the gravel and flung to land next to a body. Only then was he able to push himself to an upright position and get a good look at what was going on.

Once he was on his knees, Reed found his arms tied behind his back and he cursed out the Feds that were tying him up. He looked around to find the tech geek and the driver with him and his team daddy Garrison tied up. He looked around for the other members of his team and found them with their hands on the backs of their heads looking down and a bunch of armed Feds pointing guns at them. He looked around until he found who the leader was and demanded, "What the fuck do you want?"

The leader had been looking down at something that was in his hand. Reed couldn't tell what it was since his back was to him but the man replied, "What escaped from me."

Reed would have said something but a gag was put into his mouth. It was a good thing too since the leader turned around and the sight made his eyes widened. It couldn't be. No… the reports… He tensed up as the man came close and looked at him and said, "And you'll help me find it as well as tell me which one is the traitor."

Reed felt the scream but it was muffled when the crack of shots occurred. He watched as his team went down. Their bodies jerked from the force of the bullets. Gritting his teeth, Reed growled and lunged at the leader and immediately felt something hit across his shoulders and he was down.

"She'll come for you. It's what she does."

* * *

"Bear, out!"

The Belgian Malinois twitched its ear and released the arm of the training suit and moved back towards his handler. He didn't relax completely as he kept his eye on the downed target. His ears were poised and his tail alert. His posture clearly said that if anyone tried anything on his handler, he'd be there and they would lose a limb.

"Good boy."

"Nice one Hawk," the suited man said as he got up. "Seems like the stories are true."

Lt. Sequoia "White Hawk" Williams gave a slight smile as she rubbed Bear's ears at the base. She replied, "Well Mac, this is the only man in my life that lives up to the standard of men every girl dreams of."

Mackenzie, or Mac as his friends called him, grinned as he removed the headgear. He put it under his arm and said, "Maybe so but after the rumors I heard about how some general heard how you were with Viking Six's MWD, well let's just say that I believe that you can handle even a dog not yours."

Sequoia made a slight sound at that as she gave a slight smile. She really didn't like that she was a 'celebrity' on base. It brought unwanted attention and while she could handle it, it drove her teammates crazy and they turned into the MWDs that had been instrumental for the military and every bit the soldier that their human counterparts were. The worst of it was her boyfriend and that started long before they were even an item though it was more like pissing each other off and that extended to his little brother who was loyal and steadfast; her Sungmanitu was her best friend.

The upside was that it hid the real reason she had been assigned to the Ghosts again but under a different call sign. She had to thank Colonel Slayton and Dr. Ashford for that since Command wanted her to serve elsewhere after she had been evaluated and cleared after her time as a POW. Ashford cleared her and Slayton pulled the strings. The idea was that the Ghosts would be the trial unit with a trained interrogator and intelligence operative since Freefall was still operating. Sequoia didn't know the details but whatever the colonel said, it worked and she was back on the Ghosts. The new call sign was to satisfy Command and the team took care to use it when meeting with those outside their base.

There was also a stipulation and it was standing at her feet, panting. Colonel Slayton had made it clear that she was to have the MWD with her at all times both as a personal bodyguard and she use him in the field. She had pointed out that the Ghosts had Riley from Viking Six but that made little difference to the colonel. So she was stuck with Bear whom she was introduced to and trained with for seventeen weeks.

It turned out okay since Bear took to her like that, the same as Riley. Sequoia though suspected that he sensed she was down because Ash, the mutt she took in caught kennel cough and had to be put down. Either way, Bear was like a bodyguard to her and shadowed her no matter where she went and refused to stay in the kennel. He wouldn't let even her team near her unless she gave him the command to relax at first. Now he did but he wouldn't let them get too close with one exception.

Looking at Mac, she replied, "Must be my animal magnetism." She chuckled at that. "Thanks for volunteering for this training session."

"You kidding me? To see Bear in action… Plus it gives a bigger respect on what MWDs do for us." Mac approached Sequoia while looking at Bear. He had heard about the dog's protective nature but he was relaxed as he held out his hand palm up. He watched as the dog nosed it and allowed him to step within the personal space. "You're doing great Hawk."

Sequoia smiled, "Thanks," and held out her hand. She shook Mac's hand before calling Bear to heel. She snapped on the dog's lead and headed to where the last part of training was for the day.

Sequoia had pointed out to Colonel Slayton and anyone within the training dog unit that the Ghosts already had a MWD and he was a damned good one. Riley's service record said it all. That didn't sway opinions especially the colonel's. He was insistent that she become a handler and it wasn't until he called her in private to explain the reason why. In the end, she accepted it and became Bear's handler and learned to work with him.

Her biggest concern was Riley. She knew that they were working dogs but you couldn't ignore their instincts especially if they had alpha material in them. It was nothing to worry about since they met and they got along well despite the jokes about twice the smell and other things related to dogs. Since it wasn't a problem, she came up with an idea and ran it by Merrick and that man saw right through her but allowed it anyway.

"You're late."

Sequoia looked up to see that her training partner was already there with his dog sitting beside him and panting in agreement. She smiled as she approached, "You're early. And Riley doesn't even look warmed up, Hesh."

Hesh chuckled at Sequoia's teasing as he shifted on his feet. He looked at Riley and gave a command. He watched as Riley began running around the perimeter of the training area in a controlled pace. He looked at Sequoia with a smug look as Riley finished and came trotting up panting with the eager look to work. "Seems like it to me."

Sequoia smirked back as she entered the training area. She chuckled as Bear stood at attention with a look that clearly said that he was better than you mostly at Hesh. She couldn't help but laugh as Hesh returned the look at the dog clearly stating that he was tolerating the mutt and that he was her man. It was a continuous thing since the beginning with the two challenging each other. It had her worried since Bear was loyal to her and wouldn't hesitate to defend her to the death but when she noticed Riley's reaction it became moot.

She kneeled by Bear and unclipped his lead and rubbed his head. "Well… at least this man of mine loves me." She grinned at Hesh as she gave the command for Bear to take a warm up run.

"He's not the only one," Hesh protested as she rose to a standing position. His expression changed as he stared at her intently. "At least this one is the same species."

Sequoia made a sound in her throat as she returned Hesh's stare. Neither of them blinked as they looked at each other for about three minutes. By then Bear had returned and Sequoia said, "Well we should get started. We got to get this right."

"Running away?"

Sequoia looked at Hesh with a smirk and a raised brow, "I don't run away."

Hesh hummed at that as he followed her to get into place. He glanced at her and teased, "Sure you don't."

Nothing more was said as they went to work on the skill that they were working on with their dogs. It was how it was when out in public; they had to be circumspect about their relationship. Hesh was extreme in keeping this. He feared that if it were found out that they were in a relationship, she would be reassigned and possibly would never see each other again. He was hardly convinced when Sequoia told him that her boss was adamant she stay with the Ghosts but he tried for her sake.

Sequoia knew that Hesh was worried about them being found out and didn't blame him. She had been reassured by the colonel that her personal relationship had nothing to do with it but she wasn't going to be reckless about it. She kept the more intimate conversations in private and out in the open, she used her teasing and occasional warnings of being on her bad side. It wasn't ideal but it worked for now and Hesh had relaxed more once it became clear with the tone she was setting and he followed through.

As they headed towards the barracks to freshen up to report in to Merrick, Hesh couldn't help but give a gentle bump with his elbow. It was his way of grabbing her hand and squeezing it. It was hers too as she returned it with a smile. To anyone watching, they looked like two teammates joking with each other but the actions held more meaning between them. In fact, the year since she had been returned to them had been spent understanding that and learning how to say what they meant in different ways.

It was different when they grabbed chow for the evening meal and things were a little more relaxed between the team. Sequoia was sitting at a table and Hesh was sitting across from her. Both their dogs were at their feet. It was a chat about nothing with the occasional footsie going on when Logan joined them.

"Sorry to interrupt but you know I have to keep this bonehead in line," Logan said with a cheery expression as he sat next to Sequoia, taking heed of the spacing requirements set by Bear under the table.

"Pain in my ass," Hesh muttered as he shoved the forkful of food into his mouth. "Fuck you."

"That's gross man," Logan countered smoothly as he dug into his meal. He looked at Sequoia and asked in a near innocent tone, "Isn't that like incest or something, Hawk?"

"Not going there Sungmanitu," Sequoia replied with a chuckle. "And you're being an errant pup. Know what that means?"

Logan held up his hand in surrender, "No not that. You're mean you know that?"

Sequoia chuckled at Logan's pout as she took another bite of her food. She knew that it was nothing but teasing and it helped. Logan was willing to help his brother out if it meant to keep her with the Ghosts one way or another and was just being his cheerful stuff, proof that he wasn't letting what happened nearly a year ago get to him. She replied, "Just making sure you know whose boss."

"Yeah. The four legged man under the table," Hesh teased.

That started laughter between them since it was well known that in public Sequoia referred to Bear as her number one man when in truth it was the one sitting across from her. Everyone on base knew about her relationship with her MWD and didn't disagree with it especially since they knew by now that he was the one that determined what her personal space was. It was something that Logan found amusing since he had seen his brother and Bear stare at each other, a stupid thing, but it was their thing.

"I hope you are laughing because you're ready to work," Keegan's voice entered as he passed by them. He paused to look at them and continued, "Debrief in twenty."

* * *

 **A/N:** And here we are with another mission from the Ghosts and a new series sort of. So Reed is ambushed and it looks like Hawk has a new man in the house. Stay tuned for more...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Merrick shook his head as he studied the order that came though along with the report. It wasn't the fact that it was something the Ghosts could do but what it entailed. The man had seen a lot when he served first under Elias and then took over as commander of the team. And there were some wounds that did not heal with time. He looked at the screen and asked, "Are you sure this is best, sir?"

 _Little choice, Captain. The PC is highly valuable._

"That is not the problem sir."

 _I know. I've heard of your history with Charlie Team. In fact they were responsible for recovering another important asset._

Merrick would hardly call Sequoia an asset. She was a teammate. She was a Ghost and had earned every bit of it from the moment she head butted him when he exfilled her with the Walker boys. She was a dead shot but her talent lay in close quarter combat and interrogation. The latter he learned was a result of her time in the program Freefall. She was not an asset but for the sake of keeping her on the team, he would call her what Command wanted to call her and when he was getting favors from a certain colonel with clout.

 _Despite the history your team is vetted for success for this. So you better get your men in line and tell them to stow it. I don't need to remind you that we need every man there is to keep up this defense._

Merrick hid his feelings as he confirmed his obedience to the order, "Roger that sir."

 _Oh and Captain, that asset going in with you…_

"Wilco." Merrick waited until the screen when black before heaving a sigh.

"I'm sorry about that."

Merrick nearly jumped when he heard Sequoia's softened voice and spun on his heel to see her in her ACUs with her devil of a dog right with her. "Could you not do that Hawk?"

Sequoia grinned as she stood at ease. She knew Bear wouldn't react if Merrick got too close since they knew the drill with Riley but it was special circumstances with hers. She had to work all of the team over in that he was trained to protect and that they needed to keep movements small and controlled. Plus he fed off on her emotions and posture. He knew that she was not threatened and hence relaxed because of that. And it looked pretty bad if your MWD tore off the limb of your CO. She replied, "Then I'd be useless as a Ghost now wouldn't I? Plus someone has to keep you on your toes, Merrick."

Merrick looked at the woman who had somehow managed to make the Ghosts into a legend with her antics despite the fact that she had been nearly dubbed as a traitor and couldn't help but smile at her. "You're more trouble than Riley."

"You love me."

Merrick made a slight sound at that but he didn't mean it. "You're a Ghost, Hawk. Nothing to it."

Sequoia hummed at that and relaxed since she had been given silent permission to speak freely and move about freely. She moved to assume a familiar posture with the man. "You wished to see me before briefing?"

Merrick looked at Sequoia. She knew when to joke and when to be serious, a lot freer with her emotions than her father was but still the same strong countenance that got them through the mission even if it went close to FUBAR and even FUBAR. She knew that she was there because of her association with Freefall with her special circs and she didn't enjoy it all but she made it work. "Yes."

Sequoia nodded and signaled to Bear to stand down. The Malinois laid down but was still alert. His ears rotating and his nostrils expanding and contracting spoke to that. She moved closer to Merrick and took a look at his expression. She guessed, "We're working with someone that about half the team wants to beat the shit out of huh?"

Merrick gave a side look, "Not exactly but we will have to be in close proximity to Charlie team." He held out a folder. It was his eyes only but he owed her that much. He waited until she started looking through it before explaining, "An asset of Freefall has gone missing. He was being exfilled from a deep cover op undercover as part of the transport team. Not even security knows who it is."

Sequoia looked at the file, her eyes narrowing over the details. "Standard drop off and checkpoints?"

"Copy that." Merrick pointed at the map that was in the file folder. "They disappeared halfway between drop off and the FOB checkpoint. Last transmissions from Charlie Leader was that they were ambushed and taking fire." He looked at Sequoia as she studied the file down to the last detail. "Slayton wants the asset recovered and Washington wants to know what happened. They wanted to send another team in but we were vetted. Slayton specifically requested you."

Sequoia looked at the file and then looked at Merrick. So they wanted her in there and there was one reason for that. It meant that Slayton was going with worst case scenario and assuming the asset was either dead or compromised and if it was the latter… She swallowed at that. She was back on mop up and it stank of memories of when Elias sent her team to uncover the infiltrators that tried overrunning Fort Santa Monica.

Merrick watched her expression. He knew that something was up with that and it was something that she didn't like remembering. "You got something to say Hawk?"

Sequoia looked at the CO of the Ghosts. She could be like the other assets and be a complete asshole and declare it a need to know but she wasn't like them. Besides the team was the colonel's "pet team" as Washington called it and they did get the job done. Sighing, she replied, "There is a reason they requested me."

"I assume it's because you would know the asset by face and anything you guys communicated."

"That's part of it." Sequoia straightened up and sighed again, "The other part is to determine status." She gave a pointed look at Merrick.

Merrick took in her expression and though about it. He remembered the mission Elias had sent her on as one of her tests. She delivered and… "Determine if dead or compromised."

"Pretty much and to eliminate loose ends." Sequoia became somber as she looked to the side. She then felt a wet nose nudge her hand. She realized Bear had acted and come in reaction to her mood. She rubbed his ear to indicate she was okay. "I know the asset though and it would take a lot for them to be broken and turned. You know that."

"Hard not to since Hesh pretty much forced my hand with the colonel. How could you let yourself go through that?"

"My father started that when I was young. Not the torture part." Sequoia offered a grin. She had long got over the revelation of what she and the other assets had to do to make it through Freefall. "That came with Freefall and Ashford had me pegged from the start. All assets are unique and the ones that made it through…"

Merrick took in the shrug that she had given at the end of that. It was a difficult thing to talk about. True that he had suffered physical torture but from what he had been allowed access to, Freefall candidates were subject to extremes of physical, emotional and mental as tortured and in enhanced interrogation. Some went on to specialize. "And you? What was your specialization besides enhanced interrogation?"

Sequoia looked at the man and pursed her lips slightly before turning it into a slight grin, "Black ops, undercover intelligence gathering."

"And you settled for patrol?" Merrick smirked a little at that.

"You know me, I don't like all that stealthy shit," Sequoia replied with a smile. She knew that Merrick knew that Elias had requested her to be transferred under his command after her first five years. And the man was well aware of her skill set then.

"But you're damned good at it," Merrick countered. He straightened up and looked at her. "Look Hawk, I know you have your thing for the colonel but…"

"I got your guys' backs. That won't ever change." Sequoia shook her head to confirm her assertion. "And it didn't when I was evaled those three months." She knew that Merrick needed some assurance and she didn't blame him. "I can do this and if it comes to it that the asset is in danger of compromise, I'll eliminate."

Merrick saw the fire in her eyes. It was the same look that she got when they were on a mission, the look that she was going to see it through no matter what. Keegan said it was the same look she gave when she charged during their mission in Caracas to find Ramos with nothing but her pistol and her tomahawk and it was against a squad of Fed and with sentries on the balconies. He knew that she could get the job done. "And you have no problem if we come across Charlie team?"

"Charlie Leader may be an ass but he's still one of us, a soldier," Sequoia replied with a slight scoff. That was a rivalry that was never going to go away. "No one gets left behind."

Merrick nodded in approval as he took back the folder. "Alright. Dismissed. See you in briefing."

Sequoia nodded as she straightened up to salute the man and exited. She signaled Bear to follow her. Before she exited, she turned and looked back at the man and grinned, "You might want to remind the guys that Charlie is a soldier. They don't forgive and forget so easily." The grin turned into a smile as she took in Merrick's warning signal and chuckled. She clucked at Bear and the dog followed her out to head to briefing.

Merrick watched her leave. Maybe he was breaking protocol with giving her the whole picture but he felt it was right and he wanted to assess if she was ready to go back into the field and work with Charlie team. He got that there would be some bad blood between his team and theirs since they did have a pissing match over turning in their Hawk. He was concerned that she might be taking this way too well but he had to give her some credit.

When he got the order of an asset call sign Falcon assigned to them, he saw the emblem for Freefall and grimaced since it came with the order that they were now under Colonel Slayton's command. He was surprised when he saw that it was Hawk and the questions were answered in the briefing with her, him and the colonel and the mission prerogative. They would still carrying out their missions but they also had specialized missions with intelligence. It was a change of pace but they still were doing their jobs.

It had Merrick wary at first that Sequoia had been changed but that fear was put to rest when she interacted with them. He still was suspicious though now that he knew her specializations. The tendrils of doubt were there that she was playing them but he trusted her. It became evident when on a mission she literally through herself in the line of fire of some Fed bastard that flanked them and had Keegan in his sights. Then the whole thing with her MWD… The other factor was Hesh and Logan though Merrick thought that Hesh was being too much like a lovesick boy but it had been nothing but professional between them and Riley was a big help.

Merrick knew now that he trusted her but he was still wary of Colonel Slayton's motives. It was one of those dangerous grounds when working with intelligence but he was a soldier. He was going to follow his orders but he wouldn't be a good team leader if he didn't keep an eye out for his team and that included the daughter of Charles Williams, the best damn operator he had seen in his lifetime. Taking that into account, he exited his office and headed to debrief his team on the mission and what they were going to do.

* * *

"We gotta work with fucking Charlie again?" Kick moaned along with everyone as they exited their debrief to kit up. He glanced at everyone that exited and noted the expressions.

"More like save their asses," Logan muttered in a huff.

"Guys," Hesh said, trying to be reasonable, "A team was ambushed and they need our help."

There were some more grumbles even from Keegan. It was most unusual from the quietest of the bunch but he had good reason for it like they all did. They didn't like the fact that they had to be in close proximity of Charlie team. They had a grudge and they wanted to nurse it.

"They are soldiers, like us," Sequoia's soft tones entered as she turned to look at the group. Her reddish brown eyes looked at everyone from the more senior to the younger ones of the group. She continued, "No one gets left behind." She then turned and headed to grab her gear and get ready to move out. Bear followed along behind after giving a reproachful look.

Hesh took that as the opportunity to relay orders since he was going to be lead on this. He was the field commander after all though it felt weird to be ordering older men like Keegan and Kick. "Alright, kit up and grab rack time. We move out at 0600." He turned to do the same thing that Sequoia had in mind.

It was not late but it was best to grab as much rack time as they could before heading out. Hesh had his gear ready to go but when he went to his quarters after catching up on last minute prep with Merrick, it was gone. He knew what that meant and he gave a slight smile. Putting his hand in his pocket he looked down at Riley that was looking at him like he was crazy for not getting a move on. "Alright Riley. Stealth time."

It was probably a lot of risk doing this but it was the only way they would be able to have some alone time. True they used downtime to spend time but it was always in view of the others or involved Logan or one of the team or Mackenzie in whatever was planned and together time was usually training with their dogs on a new skill. Hesh had been a bit uneasy at first and he was the one that suggested it and it impressed her. In the end, they established a routine when it was possible.

Hesh made his way through the barracks to where the female soldiers slept. He tensed when he caught sight of the guard tower. If he got caught, he was so getting shit for this. He felt Riley press against him in reassurance and he patted the dog. At least Riley was confident and it helped as he made the familiar trek into the barracks and slunk down the hall.

It was always a tense moment since Riley's nails clicked on the floor. It sounded loud to Hesh's ears but it was pretty quiet and he knew that he could move a little easier. He gave a sharp look when he heard sounds coming from someone's room and blinked. That was ballsy of whoever was in that room. He shook his head and moved down to the door that was familiar as holding an M4 or other weapon.

There were perks to being part of the colonel's team and perks to being his favorite asset and probably most valuable. It was the one thing that Sequoia exploited and it made Hesh appreciate her all the more since she was not like that. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the duplicate key she had given him and unlocked the door. He paused when he heard noise from that one soldier's room and felt everything stand up straight.

When he was certain he was in the clear, he opened the door quietly to let Riley in first and slipped in. He narrowed his eyes playfully when he heard the low rumble of a greeting. He said nothing as he closed the door and locked it from the inside. He turned to see his rival looking at him, panting as if daring him to do something foolish. He said in a low voice, "Really, Bear?"

The Malinois cocked his head as if to ask what was wrong and gave a slight whine. It was for good reason though and Hesh turned his attention to the source of it. He said, "Another one, boy?"

Sequoia had turned in early and she was asleep but Hesh watched as she twitched and recognized the signs of a nightmare. Hesh was familiar with them having gotten them occasionally too. It was the way of life for an operator; there were some things they did that haunted them. For Sequoia, he could just imagine and it more likely would make him angry since part of it had to do with her captivity with Rorke.

Recognizing he was getting angry, Hesh took a couple of deep breaths. He looked at Bear on the ground who had already been joined by Riley. He was in the clear to approach and did so with slow and steady movements. He knew Bear would protect her at all costs and made that point clear when he was introduced to the team. By now everyone knew to make small movements when approaching her and they didn't have any problems.

With a stealth that was clumsy compared to Sequoia, Hesh crawled onto the standard issue twin that came with the room, sliding up behind her. She was sleeping on her side, facing outward and in position to snap awake if she needed to. At the moment though she was twitching in her sleep and Hesh did what he could to not get an elbow in his face. That would be pretty hard to explain to Merrick.

"Leave Hesh alone."

It had been muttered softly but Hesh heard it. She always did fear that her team be used as leverage and him and Logan especially. She said it was silly in the beginning because she hardly knew them then but when they did that assault and LOKI… Hesh understood that since he felt the same before that but he had been a bit of a coward to say it. He got it and gave her that understanding.

It wasn't too hard to slid up behind her and settle on his side so her back was facing his chest. His lip twitched when she moved to press her back against him, forcing his arm to wrap around her waist. She always seemed to know and it amused him because she would curl up and dig in; she looked like a little girl and it was cute. He would never say that to her face though. Not if he wanted to be able to keep this up.

Her movements stilled slightly but she still twitched. Hesh peered at her before placing a soft kiss to her temple and adjusted to settle in. He tucked his head into the crook of her neck and caught the scent of the shampoo she used mixed in with other scents. He shifted to where the tattoo that cupped the slope of her neck and headed into the design on her back and tucked his head there placing a gentle peck there.

"You know that won't get you points to seeing it."

Hesh made a low moan. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," her whisper pierced the darkness. "You're terrible at stealth."

Hesh made a slight sound at that and hugged her waist tighter. He smiled when he heard her laugh softly. "Not everyone had the benefit of your training." He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "I still love you."

Hesh felt his hand gripped by hers. She had a strong grip belying the gentleness that arose when she gave her help to not only her teammates but to other men on the base. He felt her lips press on the back of his hand before pressing it to her chest. He then heard her sigh and he asked, "Something wrong?"

"Nothing."

Hesh knew better than that. He had seen how quiet she was during the briefing and he knew enough about the politics Merrick had to balance with carrying out the missions… "It's about mission. The Freefall asset? Or Charlie Leader?"

"Hmph, Charlie Leader is not the problem. He is a soldier."

Hesh felt her hand tighten on his. Something had her worried. He may have read the basics on Freefall but he didn't know all the details. And he still had the letters she sent through Ashford and read between the lines to what she couldn't tell him. So what had her bothered was one of those things that she couldn't talk about. It irked a little and hurt but as a spec ops operator, he understood the necessity of secrets and subterfuge so he couldn't hold it against her. He relaxed his grip and moved his fingers to stroke her skin, "Something you have been asked to do and don't like it."

"You have a way of hitting the mark, Shappa, but yes."

"I won't ask but… I am here for you." Hesh wrapped his fingers over her hand. He shifted when she shifted to look at him. She had a sleepy look in her eyes but her gratefulness and love was showing through them. He looked at her with a serious expression and repeated, "I'm here for you."

"I know."

The smile said enough and Hesh pressed a kiss to her lips. He couldn't help but deepen it by prying her lips open gently to make it sealed before pulling back. "Come on. We're up at 0600."

Hesh wanted to laugh when she pouted a little but she was in agreement. He waited until she turned back around and settled back against him. He hummed softly when she pulled his hand back to where it was and reflected that he was going to have a stiff wrist in the morning but that didn't matter. It was often worth the pain of being hurt if it meant being with her. He smiled at her as he watched her slip back into the depths of sleep as her breathing quieted before settling down himself.

It took some time for Hesh to fall asleep as he stared at the wall he was facing. He did have some apprehensions but what good operator didn't. They could go in all confident and cocky but only fools went in thinking they were invincible. This was just different and there was a dark feel to it. He couldn't his finger on it but it was there. He was just going to have to listen to his instincts on this one and make the best choices out there. Though he could say that what he was doing now could be considered a bad one.

It was no secret to the Ghosts that he had feelings for Sequoia. The extent of that was only what he and Sequoia projected though it didn't fool anyone and least of all Logan and Keegan. There were still some things that they weren't sure of and this was one of them. Hesh was adamant to treating this proper out of respect for her. He had read up on her people and he knew he was toeing the line and quite possibly stepping over it in terms of her virtue. He didn't make a move unless she was okay with it and this was in that realm.

He could have made the argument that they had already shared a bed on a carrier. But he didn't and let her take the lead. It was cemented when she visited him in his room and didn't leave but stayed the night the night she came back to them. Since then, whenever possible, they shared a bed. It helped with the nightmares and it overall gave the feeling that things were alright in the world. And that was all it was: sleeping.

Finally feeling relaxed enough, Hesh let out the yawn that was threatening and adjusted his grip on Sequoia's waist. He glanced around and listened to the sound of Bear and Riley settling in for the night. Certain that things were okay, he tucked his head into the crook of her neck and closed his eyes.

* * *

 **A/N:** So Merrick gives the debrief and the Ghosts will be moving out. Stay tuned for more...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It felt like his head was on fire. Then again that was what happened when someone brought the butt end of an assault rifle against the back of your head. Reed squinted as he opened his eyes and put a hand to his head. He could smell the dirt, sweat and grime from the bodies that were in the same space with him.

"Good thing you got a hard head, LT."

Reed groaned, "Fuck you Garrison." He made a move to sit up, wincing from the pain in his head. He looked around to find that they were in some sort of corral for prisoners. "Where the fuck are we?"

"Still in the fucking jungle," Garrison replied with a grin that held no humor. He adjusted his kneeling position to allow his team leader to sit up. "Just no idea where."

Reed sat up and took a look around. He could make out buildings of a compound, possibly a base and definitely Federation since all he heard was Spanish coming out from the soldiers he could see. Plus the obvious hint was that he had a nasty hit to the head and was now paying for it. Sarcastically he replied, "Well no shit a Fed base."

Garrison chuckled at that. Sarcasm worked but it also told him that his team leader was not in a hundred percent shape. A crack to the skull did that. He looked at Reed, "Well we always did want to infil a Fed base."

"Yeah when it worked for us," Reed countered as he made to stand up. He got to his feet slowly and looked around.

Apart from Garrison there were two others in the holding area with them. It was the driver and the tech guy. He frowned a little at that and wondered about that since the logical thing would be to kill them all and take whatever it was they came for. He made a gestured, "They the only ones?"

"Aside from us? Yeah," Garrison confirmed. He sighed and shook his head. "They killed them Reed. They just…" He gave a slight gesture and put his hands on his hips to control the urge to want to hit something.

"Could've been worse. We'd be dead with them," Reed offered. He didn't like it either and he would be plagued by survivor's guilt in the future. Right now though, they needed to focus and find out what the deal was with their capture. He looked at Garrison and became stern and professional, "Did you see anything that could help us?"

"None. They bagged us."

Reed made a slight noise at that. He might have been bagged but he had been out cold. He still felt the bump on his head. Still it was a problem since that would have an effect on their ability to plan an escape and execute it. He looked around the place.

It was solid with four walls and the only way out was the door. There was a window but it was high up and it was too narrow for a body to fit through anyway. The upside was that they weren't tied up. That would be a benefit when the Fed came for them. They could bust their way out and play it by ear. It sounded too much like the movies but sometimes you had to play it like that meaning on the fly and just prayed that things went your way.

Reed continued to look around where they were being held while ignoring the driver and the geek that had bene thrown in with them. It occurred to him that there was really no reason for them to be taken hostage unless the geek was the only one who knew how to work whatever the PC was. It wasn't like he was going to look when his orders specifically said not to. Still it was strange but he wasn't going to pay it mind. Once he and Garrison had a plan, then they would bring them in on it.

 _Now that's a good idea, looking for a way out._

Reed looked up and around when the voice echoed throughout the room. He tried to pin the source of it. He replied, "Well you did take us against our will so naturally we're trying to find a way out."

 _Unfortunately, that's not gonna happen._

 _Like hell it was_ , Reed thought to himself. Out loud he said, "Oh we're getting out of here. You have my word on it."

There was no response over the PA system and Reed started to think that their guy was all bark and no bite. He gave a snort at that when suddenly a fierce and stinging pain shot up the back of his head. He grabbed his head and tried to find the source but it felt like his nerve endings were on fire. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the ground. Panting he looked around and saw that Garrison was on his hands and knees and the other two were writhing on the ground in pain. He tried lifting his body up to gain some leverage but the pain became more intense and forced him back down. What the fuck?

The answer came when the door opened and in walked a couple of armed guards pointing rifles at all of them. Reed knew that they didn't have a chance with that pain in his nerves and these guys would shoot them before they even got to their feet. He gritted his teeth the moment he heard another pair of boots enter. He shifted to get a good look.

The guy was kitted up but he had no weapon except for what looked like a .44 riding on his hip. He swaggered in looking at them. That was all Reed could see since the pain was excruciating. He put his head down and pressed it against his hands. That was when the pain stopped but there was still a dull throb on his head. He let out the breath that he had been holding and it came out like a gasp.

"Hehehe. Weell you're not one of them but you sure are a tough one."

Reed gritted his teeth and let out a grunt of pain from the dull throb. He shifted to get a better look at the man talking. "That's cause you're fucking with…"

Reed caught the butt end of a rifle across the face since he started to straighten up on his knees. He felt the sting and the sudden wetness that seemed to leak through. He also felt a coppery tang in his mouth. He placed his palms flat on the ground so he wasn't completely down but he was down enough to keep from getting hit.

"Yeah I know. Charlie Team." The man waltzed in and looked at the others. "Not really the prize that others would be." He toed the others checking to see if they were still moving. "And not really worth the reputation."

"You don't know what you're messing with."

Reed widened his eyes as the bastard gave a hard and well placed kick to Garrison's middle. The bastard did that several times before saying, "Oh really? I know all about you and that you have something valuable."

Reed gritted his teeth and managed to make it to his feet. He lunged towards the man. "Sonofa…"

The pain started again only this time it felt more excruciating, like it went up in volume. It caused Reed to fall and land on his back. He arched his back in pain as he tried to fight it off but he couldn't. All he could see was that bastard looking down at him for a moment before signaling and then the pain stopped. Reed panted as he gasped for air as the man kneeled over him.

"Got fire in your belly. I like that. The boss will definitely like that."

"Boss…?" Reed was out of it and he ended up frowning at the bastard kneeling above him.

"Oh yes. He knows like I know that you lot in Charlie are fighters but to damn cocky. It's why it was so easy to ambush you."

Reed narrowed his eyes in anger but didn't move. There was no point to it and he couldn't. That last whatever it was took it out of him but he still could talk. "Bastard. You killed my team."

"Deadweight but not you and that blabbermouth." The bastard gestured at Garrison who was on the ground not moving but eyeing everyone with a murderous intent. "And these two." He shifted to gesture at the driver and the tech geek.

Reed, still doing his job countered, "Leave them. They don't know anything."

"But they do," the man countered smoothly. He kneeled and looked down at Reed. "You see, one of them knows what your cargo really is. You unfortunately were chosen to guard it. Guarding something you don't even know what."

It would have sounded funny but it hardly was in this situation. Reed managed to move a limb as his back arched but he still felt heavy laden. Like his team piled all their gear on top of him and dared him to get out from under. "Leave them."

"Maybe. After they tell me which one of them is PC Alpha 129." The bastard stood up and looked at the pair that his guards brought together. He pulled out his pistol and cocked it ready to go. He stood in front of the driver and asked, "So which one of you is it?"

Reed managed to roll to his stomach but he was pretty much useless at this point. The guards did let him move that much but not enough to pose a real threat to them. He grunted, "Leave them alone. You got the cargo."

"Oh I do but which one?" The guy pointed his pistol at the driver who was kneeling with an impassive look. He then shifted to the tech geek that was quivering slightly. He peered at them and said, "The PC better reveal himself or…" He pointed his weapon in a direction and fired. He looked at their faces to take in the reaction.

Reed was certain he shouted but no sound came out. He watched as Garrison flopped onto his back from the impact. Blood started to flow but he couldn't tell if his man was dead or alive. All he saw was red. Risking the excruciating pain that would be certain to follow, he lunged at the bastard that just fired his gun and managed to get a hand on him but was given a punch to the face and he was down on his back. The last thing he saw was a boot heading towards his face and then he saw black.

The guy looked down at Reed and then glanced at Garrison who was wincing. He grinned since he had winged the guy. It would be pretty bad but it wasn't life threatening. He turned to look at the other two and waved his gun in warning, "Now that was a warning. Next time it won't be one. Decide which one of you is going to die unless you tell me who the PC is."

The driver and the geek tech looked at him as he smirked. He then turned and booted the unconscious Reed out of his way as he exited. He turned once all of his men exited and gave a sadistic grin. "Doesn't matter. One way or another, the boss is going to get what he really wants. But it won't hurt to have two of you." He then turned to let the door close.

The driver watched as the door shut and released the breath that he had held. That was way too close but he knew that in the end something was going to give. They wanted the PC but he was under orders not to give it up. He shook his head and slowly crawled towards the downed soldiers to look at them. The team leader would probably have another headache to boot but the other… He shook his head and gestured at the geek, "Come on."

The tech geek moved timidly. He watched as the driver began to check the guy that had been shot. "What is going on?"

"Trouble," was all the driver would say.

* * *

"Another walk in the park huh?"

Sequoia shot a slight grin towards Logan as she adjusted her gear and weapon. With her free hand she gave Bear a pat on the head. "Usually is," she replied as she looked at their chopper that was going to take them to the LZ.

Logan looked at his best friend and noted her pensive expression. Even with the camo paint drawn in her signature fashion of a Lakota Sioux, it was easy to tell that there was something on her mind. He knew it had to be serious enough to keep it despite the fact that his brother had snuck into her room again. Not that he minded or cared and he wasn't telling. "Something up?" He had to ask just to make sure.

Sequoia looked at Logan and noted his expression despite the fact that he was wearing his Ghost mask. She didn't keep much from him and he didn't with her. "There is," she admitted after a pause, "Just the kind of thing that brings back memories."

Logan could push but decided against it. There was no point to it at times because they all had bad memories. And he figured that it had something to do with a time before they joined up. That was just one of the things joining up and being a soldier. "I hear ya Hawk," was all he said.

Sequoia looked at Logan and reached up and gave a head rub. If he hadn't been wearing his mask, she would have ruffled his hair but as it were it was covered by the mask. It still had the same effect though, conveying affection that was almost sibling like between them. She gave a smile when he scowled halfhearted at her but it turned into a grin. He playfully punched at her not at all worried about Bear lunging at him. He chuckled when she deflected him and gave a gentle tap to the back of his head, "Always sneaking one in on me, Hawk."

"You're getting better, Sungmanitu," Sequoia replied as she straightened up. "You better with all the lessons I've been giving you."

Logan snorted at that. He patted his hip where his hand ax was hanging. "Never leave the base without it."

"And I have the best man in my life," Sequoia patted Bear on the head, "So we're good to go."

"Really, Hawk?"

Sequoia and Logan couldn't help but chuckle at Hesh when he came up with Riley at his heels. He was giving a sour look but it was not effective because of the twinkle his eyes took despite the camo paint covering his face. She said, "Well it's true. He's steadfast, loyal and he jumps in to protect me no matter what even if it is something like an innocent pat to the shoulder."

Logan snickered since she just described not only her dog but his brother as well and she had done that on purpose. "Man she got you bro," he said as he shook his head.

"Fuck you pain in my ass," Hesh countered.

"My calling big bro," Logan countered. He held up his fist and grinned when his brother gave him one in return.

Hesh knew that it was a joke between the three of them and he knew that Sequoia was referring mostly to him though the dog was the same too. The base and the team took it to mean her dog since that was the experience they all had when they made the mistake of invading her personal space. It was a good cover for their relationship and he bore it with good humor despite Logan's goading but it was expected of him. He shook his head at them and turned to see Keegan and Harris arriving. Kick was going to be support with Merrick. "Alright, mount up."

Sequoia and Logan looked at each other and nodded. Playtime was over and time to go to work. Sequoia was grateful that Logan cheered her up. It relieved a little of her apprehension about what her mission was should the asset be compromised. Putting on her game face, she motioned to Bear to follow and went to board the chopper.

It was a little crowded but no one minded the dogs. Riley and Bear were trained as MPCs and had been trained to get on any moving vehicle and even parachute in. They were the calmest of the MWDs that had been used in the field from their base and didn't need to be put in a carrier. They jumped in and took their places near their handlers looking ready and eager to take off.

Sequoia patted Bear as she took his vest hem and held on. She turned to look at the team before looking out at the side of the chopper. She spotted Merrick with Kick standing there as they were being sent off. She caught Merrick's expression as he looked at her specifically. She knew that he had given her more information than he probably should have but it was better than it coming as a cold order from the colonel and from the top.

The last time she executed someone it was because they were a traitor. They had infiltrated and got good men killed. She had just been under Elias' command for eighteen months when he gave her the order to do another sweep of the wall but it was a cover to look for the traitor. Her orders were to seek, find and determine the damage and then… execute.

Echo team was the best at what it did. They were the unit to infil and take care of business. They were like spec ops but regular army. Other commanders requested to use them from Elias and they went in, did the job and were out when needed. Mostly though they patrolled the wall and took care of business. Sequoia never told them about the details of that last mission but they followed her willingly and they held no qualms when she pulled her pistol and shot the traitor.

Now she was being asked to do that again if the occasion called for it. She would do it but she was apprehensive because she had changed. She had been with the Ghosts and they did things differently. And in the course of that… Sighing, she readied herself as the chopper lifted off. She tightened her grip on Bear but that dog was merely sitting and was cool as a cucumber. His tongue lolled out as he took in the sights. She smirked since he always held that posture that he could do this job better than any of the other team.

 _This is Spectre 6-4 lifting off._

 _Copy that 6-4. Good hunting._

 _Roger that._

Sequoia looked over in the direction of the pilot and saw her cousin Skye "Eagle" Bryant doing her thing and smiled. She turned to look out the chopper and took in the view of the jungle below. After LOKI, their forces had pushed back the Federation and were able to establish bases in the jungle. That was largely in part because of El Libertad, the civilian militia movement that was tired of the Federation troops. The war had turned in favor of them but it still was a fight ahead.

SecDef wanted intel on the Federation and Freefall had been sent in along with any others that could gather intel. The asset they were after was rotating out. That usually meant that he had serious intel that they needed. What it was… Now the asset was missing and they were going in to find any clues. Even in near peace time the spies and recon had to be done.

According to the debrief, they were to drop in and hike it to the handoff and determine what happened. It was simple investigative work but since a Freefall asset was missing, it was not so simple. Sequoia wasn't certain about what they were going to find and that had her nervous even though it was their side's held territory but like anything else, it was too big to catch everything. A small strike force could sneak in and ambush but that would require someone who knew intimate details. That would imply a traitor. The thought of it had Sequoia's breath hitch slightly.

 _Drop zone is the cliff clearing at point bravo. From there its three klicks to the handoff._

Sequoia shifted when she heard Hesh relaying the mission parameters. Her hand remained clutched to Bear's vest even though that dog was like a rock and enjoying every second on the ride. She listened to the plan as she thought about the possibility that there was a traitor and she was going to be ordered to take care of it.

"Any information from our sources?"

Sequoia looked up when the question was asked since it was directed at her. It wasn't a surprise since El Libertad wouldn't talk to anyone but her and a few choice others brought in to gain trust. Anyone from the Ghosts was acceptable but they preferred to talk to her. She replied, "There have been no movements from the militia, planned or otherwise detected within the past few weeks. And it's too far north from the forward camps."

"So we can't expect any help from our allies," Hesh said in a firm voice. There was no need to question further since that would lead to awkward questions and answers from Sequoia since she was the one that went on the last recon to them. "We go in and find out what happened. That's it."

There was nothing more to be said as everyone confirmed that they understood. Sequoia shifted to look back out and survey the landscape. Her eyes narrowed as she adjusted her gun just in case and adjusted her grip on Bear's vest. She had checked in with Cezar and he said that they were busy with the Federation further south holding their small bit of territory. Stubborn to the end, they refused US intervention in terms of military power but they were willing to pass along any information on Federation movements and the like. It was a fairly good arrangement.

 _Two minutes._

Sequoia shifted when she heard the ETA and made sure her gear was in the right place. She felt a hand on her shoulder and twisted to see Logan looking at her. She grinned as he grinned back. She said, "Just like a pup."

"Mean Hawk."

They shared a laugh as Skye gave the ETA of one minute. Logan looked towards the cockpit before looking at Sequoia and raised his brow, "Showtime, Hawk." He pulled his mask over his face and held his rifle up and ready.

The other Ghosts that had masks put them on. Sequoia shifted into a crouch to spring out. She flipped the safety off and was ready to go along with Bear as he stood up. Once the chopper touched down, she released Bear and hopped out and kneeled to cover. She glanced around as she felt the wind from the rotor wash as the chopper lifted off.

"C2, we've landed."

 _Copy that._

Sequoia shifted as she straightened up and looked around at the jungle. She shifted around to look at the clearing. She checked on Bear and Riley and they were not getting hits. It may bode for some success that they weren't going to be ambushed the moment they were out of the chopper. She snapped her fingers and signaled to Bear as Logan took point.

They made good time to the road that the convoy had taken. It was typical of a jungle road in that it was all dirt and in danger of being overrun by foliage. It would have made for a bumpy ride. Sequoia had to smirk since she knew that Charlie Leader hated the jungle. He made no bones about it when he had been sent to get her when her status was in question.

"Coming up on the handoff," Logan's voice graveled through the coms.

"Heel," Sequoia gave in a firm and low tone and Bear came to her just as Riley came to Hesh. She kneeled to watch for Logan's assessment for the clear.

"Hawk, have Bear go with Riley," Hesh said as he patted Riley.

Sequoia nodded and gave the seek command to her dog. She watched as they slipped past Logan and moved up as he did. She got next to Keegan who was in good position to observe. She kneeled almost like she was lounging. She caught his gaze and nodded before looking to observe the dogs.

When the clear was given, they emerged from the brush to the position. Sequoia looked around as she trailed Keegan, looking at the site. It was obvious that there was a fight and no one bothered to clean up and what would be the point? Especially since they more than likely got what they were after. She narrowed her eyes and she could almost imagine what happened when Charlie Leader approached.

"Riley's got something!"

Sequoia turned to see Logan pointing and just caught Riley jogging forward and on his heels was Bear. "They got a hit," she said as she followed while tapping Logan on the shoulder.

The barking was enough to follow as Sequoia and Logan approached. She felt bile rise in her mouth as Logan hissed. She held her rifle ready but… She shook her head. "We got something."

* * *

 **A/N:** Reed gets some interrogation of sorts and the Ghosts have landed. What do they find? Keep watching for next time on Freefall...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Looks like they ambushed them, killed them and stole their uniforms." Sequoia kneeled next to one of the bodies as she examined it. She made a slight face because of the smell. She put the back of her hand to her nose to try and mask it. Jungle conditions sped up decomp and it was worse than a "doggy bag".

"Stole the uniforms and waited," Keegan muttered as he shook his head.

"That would mean they would have to know about this place," Harris pointed out as he looked at what was left and took pictured for command. He looked at the others, "That means a traitor."

Everyone paused in what they were doing. Sequoia swallowed slightly. It was starting to look more and more like that. She stood up and sighed as she adjusted her rifle in her hands. "We don't know that," she countered.

"You really want to go that route?" Harris looked at her with a narrowed look. "I mean look at where we are."

Sequoia sighed. It seemed that while Harris was glad to be on the job with her again, there was tension there that she couldn't put her finger on. It seemed to be focused on Hesh at times and then not. She looked at the others and at Hesh. He was giving her a look stating that she could answer and that he wasn't going to interfere unless necessary. Looking at Harris she replied, "We don't know if we have a traitor, which is worst case scenario. Next worst case is that one of our patrols was taken and tortured for the road information. Scouting and waiting would have followed." She took a couple of steps towards him and continued, "And that could be the case. They got lucky that it was an asset."

Harris looked like he was going to say something but Hesh stepped in, "Alright. We really don't know if that is the case. What we do know is that our guys here were killed and their uniforms and gear were used to lure the convoy into a sense of security. Until we know more…" He looked at Harris with a warning look.

Harris looked back at Hesh. He took a breath and nodded before moving off to check the perimeter. Hesh waited until he passed before saying, "Keegan, radio in a pickup for the bodies."

"Got it." Keegan looked at the situation before cueing his radio and calling in a pickup and giving a sitrep on the mission.

Hesh sighed as he took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair. He surveyed the area and wrinkled his nose. The stench was overpowering and the bodies looked pale, devoid of life. It was grotesque and he had seen plenty of dead bodies and caused some of those. Just stopping and thinking about it was… Clearing his throat, he put his helmet on and continued looking around. He came across Sequoia as she looked at the road.

Sequoia was aware of Hesh behind her. She could tell by the way that Bear reacted even though he was on the job. She was busy though looking at the scene where the firefight began. She knew that the stripped uniforms were to put the convoy at ease. In her mind's eye she could visualize what might have happened, what Charlie Leader would call in and…

"You okay?"

Sequoia shifted to look in the way that the convoy would have gone. She replied as she looked down the road and the area the shooting started. "Harris was only voicing worst case scenario and to tell the truth, that is probably what Command is thinking."

"Harris is…" Hesh didn't know what to say.

"He could be an ass just like any other soldier on base." Sequoia shifted to glance at Hesh and gave a smirk. "I mean you were a couple of times and even Logan when you weren't looking."

Hesh cleared his throat, "And you let me have it."

"Only because I liked you and I didn't know it then. No regrets though." Sequoia smiled. She then turned and looked at the road. "Charlie didn't buy the ruse."

Hesh frowned slightly at that but snapped to attention. He knew she was telling him that she had been thinking about it and that it was a possibility. She just wanted to think the least of the worst case scenarios first before getting to the worst of the worst. It wasn't a confidence issue at all but more trying to look at things rationally before it became an issue. He watched as she stepped forward, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that bastard didn't fall for the ruse," Sequoia replied. She walked towards a tree and ran her hand on it. "See this?"

Hesh joined her after doing a check himself. He knew that Bear was on the alert since that dog was watching everything. He walked up to where Sequoia was pointing at. He peered at it and thought he knew what it was but he felt the need to ask, "Yeah. What is it?" He looked at Sequoia for the answer.

"This doesn't look like something living in the jungle made." Sequoia shot Hesh a smirk and he grinned slightly at her. Turning back to it, she ran her hand on the damage and looked at the road. "Charlie would have shot first and had the driver gun it, which he did." She trotted down the road slightly and paused as she stared down the road. She pivoted and looked at Hesh, "I think he would have made a break for Kranz."

Hesh studied the same areas she had. There was a lot of disturbance. The damage done to the brush couldn't have been done by any animal. He was going to say something when Keegan came up and stated that a transport was being sent for the bodies. He motioned for the man to come up and pointed out, "See that?"

Keegan glanced at Sequoia who was waiting but also keeping an eye out for anything. He looked at the area and the damage. "Looks like the convoy put up a fight."

"Hawk was in the same mindset."

It was nothing personal. Everyone trusted Sequoia's judgment but it had to appear that all avenues were explored and properly. Keegan trusted it especially but he understood the position Hesh was in and it was doubly hard since he knew the kid was in a relationship with her. He was making sure everything was within protocols and the older man knew that Hesh would do anything, even give up his career to keep her. Not that she would allow it.

Keegan inspected the damage. "Well Hawk knows Charlie Team. What does she say?"

"That Reed wouldn't have fallen for the ruse and hightailed it for FOB Kranz," Hesh replied. He shifted on his feet. "You know this is the same shit we pulled to get info on the Fed missile program."

"Crossed my mind."

Hesh nodded. A thought entered and given what they had found there was the distinct possibility that they might find something if they kept up the chase. "How far would you say it would be to FOB Kranz from here?"

Keegan, getting where Hesh was going with this replied, "Three klicks at most."

"Meaning that our objective is between here and Kranz."

"Or they were taken at Kranz if the same thing that happened here happened over there," Keegan pointed out. "Kranz is not a full operations base. More like an outpost but plenty of room for transport."

"I agree," Hesh confirmed. He shot a look at Keegan and turned to radio in, "Stalker 6-4, this is Ghost 2-2."

 _Go ahead Hesh._

"Merrick, we found the handoff and called it in. Bodies were stripped. Looks like Charlie got away. Were there any call ins from FOB Kranz?"

 _Negative. There has been no contact from Kranz._

Hesh looked at Keegan as he said, "Possible HVI taken either at Kranz or between here and there."

 _Orders were clear Hesh. Investigate and retrieve asset._

"Roger that." Hesh shifted and looked at Keegan while sparing a glance at Sequoia. He adjusted his gun and said, "Looks like we're going for a walk, Keegan."

"Copy that."

Hesh keyed his radio, "Logan, grab Harris. We're going for a walk."

 _Copy that._

Hesh called for Riley and the dog came out of the brush and stood next to him. He looked at Sequoia who was waiting while Logan and Harris joined them. He noticed that Harris was looking a little sullen. Ever since the whole thing getting Sequoia back from Rorke, the man was sullen and often borderline insubordinate. Hesh knew that it was between him and Harris but seeing the way how he behaved with Sequoia, it made his protective instincts want to beat up the guy but he restrained himself because they worked together.

Hesh had been lenient and they were shorthanded but he knew that he had to have a conversation with Harris in the future. If it got worse then he would have to have Harris removed and while he didn't want to since the man was a good operator, he couldn't have the team subjected to more reasons that had Command looking and breathing down their necks. Once they came he relayed, "From the looks of things Charlie Leader managed to get out and headed towards FOB Kranz. We've had no report from them so we're going to take a little walk."

If he were being polite, Hesh would have left the door open for questions. As it were, their mission was clear and he wasn't going to take any lip from Harris if he had any. He did give the man a warning look before looking at the others and giving the order, "Move out. Logan, take point with Hawk. Use Bear. Harris, cover fire."

Logan nodded and moved up to join Sequoia. They shared a look before she tapped Bear on the shoulder and signaled him to move ahead. He heard Riley give a slight bark behind as he stayed with Hesh. He took in the area and noticed the damage to the foliage. Yeah there was more to this and more than likely Charlie Leader put up a fight and probably won. He may not like the man but like Sequoia, he admitted that the man was a good soldier.

"Come on, Sungmanitu. We've gone on longer runs than this."

Logan glanced at Sequoia and saw her smirk. "You so did not bring up that 5k run you had us do."

"Yes I did."

Logan made a slight sound at that. "You know that you were just showing off."

"Maybe a little but you have to admit that you like the endurance training."

Logan narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing. She was right and it wasn't like he had anything to complain about. They had been training together in between unit and her MWD training. She worked with him on his ability to use the hand ax she had given him. Their sparring session were one of the few bits of entertainment for the rest of the troops on base. It became something of a game for the FNGs that flew in to goad them into challenging her in close quarter combat. He and the rest of the Ghosts didn't do that but they didn't stop it. There wasn't a point since the FNG goaded and wouldn't stop until she said yes. Then they got a lesson and their ass handed to them.

Looking at Sequoia as they walked side by side, he bumped her with his elbow. She smirked at him and gave one back. He replied, "Alright, you made your point."

"And what was that?"

"That a three klick walk is nothing."

Sequoia chuckled at Logan as she shifted to glance back. She saw Riley and Hesh along with Keegan and then bringing up the rear was Harris. She sobered since she couldn't understand why Harris was being so hostile. Some days were good and others he just pushed and that was mostly to get a rise out of Hesh. She wasn't going to interfere with it since Hesh was team leader but she couldn't help but feel responsible and it pushed forward the idea about being transferred, one that she thought about but never voiced to anyone, not even Hesh and for the reason that she didn't want to leave him behind. Swallowing she turned her attention back to the front.

"Hey, Harris will get over what's eating him. Or Hesh will give him a talking to."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

"Looks like an RPG got em."

Logan looked at what Hesh was looking at. They had found the truck that was theirs. It was on its side where it landed after it had been run off the road by an RPG hitting it. The truck landed upside down and on its side since it was against a hill. The gaping hole in the side was the telltale. He pointed, "Looks like near the fuel tank. A wonder it didn't blow sky high."

"Yeah." Hesh looked over at the crash site. He made a face at the scene, seeing the bodies left there.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that their guys had been executed. They had nothing save their Kevlar vests and ACUs and that was it. It was sight no one could get used to. Hesh called it in, "This is Ghost 2-2. We found the convoy."

 _Survivors?_

"Negative. Four dead. All Charlie Team."

 _And the PC?_

"Checking on that now. Standby." Hesh motioned to Harris and Logan to check the bed of the truck.

It looked like it was difficult since the truck was at an odd angle. Harris found a place where they could squeeze in and started making a hole big enough for Logan to crawl in. Logan grunted as he slid in. It was like being a kid and wriggling to hide under the bed and it was a wonder that he was able to fit through the hole Harris made with his gear on. He fell in, narrowly missing a box but it still was an awkward fall.

"You okay?"

Logan peered up to where Harris was peeking through and signaled with his hand. "I'm good."

"Good since I don't want to haul your ass out of there." Harris grinned at Logan.

"Yeah well fuck you Harris," Logan replied as his voice took a low tone. He began inspecting the crate and discovered that it was a transport crate the military used. In a loud voice, "Found the crate."

Hesh heard his brother and asked, "What is it?"

Logan frowned as he looked for the locking mechanisms. He found them and popped the seals. It wasn't exactly locked like it was important so his supposition was that it was for decoy purposes. He pulled off the lid and peered inside. What he found had him frown and had him surprised. He reached in to get a better look. "Well I'll be damned."

In the meantime, Hesh was waiting for a report from his brother. He keyed his radio, "Keegan, any word from Kranz."

 _Just got through. Looks like they had problems with communications relay. It was conveniently down when Charlie went missing._

"Convenient my ass," Hesh muttered before replying, "Fill them in. Need to clean up here."

 _Roger that. This is shit._

"Tell me about it." Hesh dropped his com and turned to see Sequoia looking at the bodies. He walked towards her.

She was staring at the bodies. From a distance it looked like she was looking like she would when she went in for the kill. It hid the fact that she was absorbing what she was seeing and no doubt talking herself down like they all had. Hesh approached slowly since Bear wasn't too far away and he was poised and alert. He didn't want to give the dog any reason to do his job.

As he approached, he heard Sequoia saying something in her people's language. When Elias died, he had heard her sing a song of mourning for him. She wasn't singing but he got the gist of the words. She was saying something and probably a prayer for the dead. He paused and stood there as she looked down at the bodies before she placed her right fist over her heart. He waited until she stepped back to say, "That was nice."

"Nothing I wouldn't do for any of our guys," Sequoia replied as she looked at Hesh. "They were warriors."

"Not arguing with that." Hesh took a couple of steps forward. He looked at the bodies. "You collected tags or you want me to?"

"I got it." She held out her hand with the tags she took. There was one left with each body for when the transport arrived to collect them. She put them in her belt to give to Hesh later since he was team leader. "Charlie Leader and Garrison are not among the dead. So at least I'll be able to lay it on him when we find him."

Hesh recognized it for what it was. It took time but eventually he got that while Sequoia and Reed didn't like each other and said the worst things imaginable, they respected one another. He didn't believe it fully but was willing to give a little since he didn't really forgive Charlie for bringing her in like a prisoner. The rest of the Ghosts weren't so forgiving either. "You okay, Hawk?"

Sequoia turned to look at the bodies in a thoughtful expression. "Not really," she replied honestly. She shifted to look at Hesh. "Not okay that the possibility that I have to seek and destroy is becoming more evident."

"Then don't think of that as such. You didn't earlier."

Sequoia gave a knowing look. "Only to prove a point but what good is it if the one trying to make the point doesn't completely believe in it?" Her expression became a bit pensive as she finished saying that. "But it does look like I'll be judge, jury, and executioner if the worst comes."

"And we won't let it."

Sequoia smiled slightly at that, "I really want to believe that, Shappa, but…" She looked at the bodies, the mangled truck and she recalled what they found at the drop off. There was something about it that had her not feel right. She shook her head, "What do I know. We don't even know if Kranz is okay." She offered a slight smile before clearing her throat and started looking around trying to process her thoughts.

"Keegan just got a call in. They had communications problems." Hesh frowned at the change in demeanor but didn't question it. There were a lot of things that he didn't know. He just hoped that if it were bothering her enough that she at least talk to him. He stepped closer and whispered, "Thečhiĥila." He caught her eye before moving away.

Sequoia looked at him and the expression he gave. She was moved by that look of faith he gave her. And his declaration of love… It made her feel more in love with him since he learned how to say it. He wasn't claiming to understand but he was there to support her if she asked. She looked around and sighed as she stared in the direction of FOB Kranz.

 _There are two things a warrior should know my little Hawk. What they should know and what they need to know._

 _Why do I need to do this? I'm not a warrior._

 _You are my little Hawk. You are a warrior. It is in your blood._

Sequoia sighed as she remembered the lessons that her father had taught her growing up. She never hated the lessons, at least she didn't think so. There were times that she didn't want to do them and thought her father cared more about the training than her but in the end… It was for one reason only and that was because she was his daughter and he loved her and her mother like a precious jewel. He taught her to be able to protect herself when he couldn't and she knew that he would have done everything to protect her mother the day ODIN was turned against them.

 _There are things that are dark in this world my precious little bird. What I am teaching you will help you survive but it can also be used in the hunt. There are those that will want to use that. While they train as warriors… they are not warriors born like you. They will not understand._

"Hey got something!"

Sequoia turned to see a box being pushed out of the truck and it was caught by Harris who placed it on the ground before helping Logan out. She frowned as she moved away from the bodies to get a closer look. She shifted to cast a survey along the road and the surrounding area before diverting her attention to what Logan was hovering over.

The case looked nondescript but it was obvious that it was important. Sequoia frowned at the case as Logan hovered over it. He cursed, "Damn. It's locked."

"Any way of opening it?" Hesh moved to take a look at it.

Logan looked it over, "Doesn't seem like there is." He turned it over to show a symbol. It was clearly theirs but the other stuff…

Sequoia made a tiny sound in her throat when she saw it. _Of course. SOP._ Sighing she walked up and excused herself to move Logan out of the way. She kneeled in front of the case and pulled off her gloves and felt along the edges until the key pad appeared. Pursing her lips in a knowing fashion, she entered the code that she had been told to memorize from day one. She wasn't surprised that it popped open like it did and ignored everyone's looks as she reached in and pulled out a drive.

"What the…"

Sequoia sat back on her heels and held up the drive and looked at it. She gave a slight smirk and shook her head. Of course he would do that. She looked at the rest of the Ghosts and said, "This is what Command was waiting for."

* * *

 **A/N:** The Ghosts found the truck and the bodies but it looks like something else. Looks like Hawk knows more than they do. Stay tuned for next time on Freefall...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The throbbing in his head was fierce but bearable. Reed opened his eyes and shifted them around to look to find that he was still in the same cell. Like that was going to change. He closed his eyes and opened them again as he tried to recall what had happened. He recalled the first time and then… "Garrison."

He sat up quickly and groaned from the headache. As soon as hands touched him his fist flew and he made contact with flesh. He twisted and saw that he had hit the tech guy and pretty hard in the face. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," the tech said as he rubbed his jaw and scooted back to give Reed some room. "Knew you were a hitter. Just…" He rubbed his jaw again.

Reed made a slight face as he straightened up. He looked around and found the driver hovering over Garrison. It was instinct to want to rush over and shove the driver aside since he was in the mind not to trust anyone but the members of his unit but he resisted. Instead he shifted over and peered at his friend.

The driver looked up at him and said, "He is fine for now."

Reed looked at Garrison and then the driver, "Thanks. You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Reed sat back and leaned on his elbows. He took deep breaths as he looked around and tried to get over the throbbing in his head. He arched his back slightly and stretched. It helped work out the dull throb that was coursing throughout his body. It was all he could do since they had no ways and means out and his right hand man was down and he'd be fucked if he was going to leave a man behind.

"They injected us with some sort of device."

Reed shifted to look in the direction of the voice and found it was the tech talking. He narrowed his eyes slightly to get a good look. He found that the tech was not like the geeks he had seen, meaning the skinny ones that were classic images of nerds. This one was in fairly good shape. He would have made a decent squad member. "What?"

"Devices." The tech rubbed his neck and revealed redness. "That's why we were down and the assholes weren't."

Reed was impressed with the language use. He would be even more impressed if the tech could do something like fight. "Really?"

"They are controlled by this facility. Or at least from there." The tech pointed at the window that was shaded glass. "Maybe watching."

Reed shifted to look at where the tech pointed. He saw the window and stared at it. It made sense why when he attacked he went down like he did. He looked at the tech and asked, "And you just figured this all out yourself?"

The tech stared at Reed with a nervous look. It was interrupted by the driver saying, "Don't try talking to him. He only cares about his team."

Reed looked at the driver, "Hey, I got you out of a firefight didn't I?"

The driver said nothing but made a scoffing remark. He moved to sit against the other wall. He propped his forearms against his knees and looked at his hands. He had wiped them but there was still blood from helping the shot soldier and that was without medical supplies. He figured that they weren't going to bother with a medic. Probably use it to make a point.

Reed made a face at the driver. Fine with that. He wasn't going to make a fuss with it. He turned back to the tech and watched as he sat against the wall. One arm was resting on his knee, the other was rubbing the same spot on his next like he was trying to rub out the device. He was staring at nothing in particular and he was muttering something.

Reed thought he was a crazy one but he had to admit he held up well. He thought he would break with that first round. He figured it wasn't too bad. He asked, "What's your name?"

The tech looked up at Reed and studied him. Reed thought he was going to be stubborn about the whole thing like the driver. He didn't realize that the tech was looking past him. It was a long silence before the tech replied, "Jackson."

Reed nodded, "Reed."

"Valles," the driver said.

Reed turned to look at the driver. He was getting a nasty look from him but that wasn't going to matter in the long run. He shifted to sit up and moved to another wall to lean against. His head was still throbbing but he could work with that. His limbs felt a little heavy from whatever it was that they did to him. He could take a guess and say that it was electric shock but then again what did he know. At least he had some answers from the tech Jackson. Sighing he looked around. It was probably pointless but at least it was something to do.

"The only windows are those up near top and too small to fit through," Jackson commented more like a nervous geek than a soldier. "And even if we did manage to fit, more likely they are watching us and/or the window is booby trapped." He leaned against the wall looking like he was just going to give up.

"More likely that is the case," Valles replied. "They are probably listening to us right now."

Reed didn't make a sound but looked around. He was looking for anything other than the window that indicated that they were being watched. True cameras could be made small enough so that they weren't seen if you didn't know where to look. He just didn't want to give himself away and made small movements like he was trying to get back feeling in his body. It was plausible since his head did still ache and he probably looked worse than he felt.

Running a hand through his hair, Reed managed to see that there was nothing else. At least nothing he could see. However, it could be that they had something new that they didn't know. So they would have to be careful about what they said and did if they were going to figure out a way to escape. He lowered his head and cradled it in his hand as his elbow rested on his knee.

 _Like you could find yourself out of a latrine, Reed._

Reed snorted to himself. _Yeah, fuck you Echo bitch._

 _Who's the bitch? I'm not the one who abandoned one of their own. Wouldn't surprise me if you let some of your men get killed to achieve your objective._

Reed stiffened at that memory. He hadn't forgotten that since he first met her, the one he called Echo bitch. It was a fated day that he left a wounded man and his medic behind to finish a job and her team came along and ended up saving his team's ass. Afterwards, it wasn't pretty and he was certain that his team heard everything. And yet they stayed. They trusted him to get them through to the other side. Yet he always felt that they were watching him, waiting to see if he was what she accused him of and the proverbial shoe drop.

 _But did I deserve it?_

Reed snorted a little at his thoughts. In a way though, she was right. Since that day, he had tried harder to be a better team leader. It was especially difficult when the stories circulated about her team's exploits. He heard the admiration from the men and some saying that they wished they were on her team. It fueled his dislike of her to actively hating her and he never missed a point to make it known that he didn't like her.

Truth was, he was jealous. He was jealous that she was better at leading than he was. Hell, she was like the poster girl for ops team leader. She went in, got the mission done and it always came with a shower of praise and accolades from the men. Yet she never let it in. She was polite about it but didn't grow cocky with it at all. Rather… It fed his bitterness and made him determined to show her up. He became a better team leader but for the wrong reasons.

He tried to convince himself that he was what a soldier was supposed to be. He wasn't a woman meaning that he was into the touchy feely crap and making sure that his men's feelings weren't hurt. He ended up earning the reputation that he was a drill sergeant that was harder than a hardass. So he had a reputation but in retrospect, it wasn't what he wanted to be known as. His superiors couldn't fault him since he followed orders and completed his missions.

 _You really are something Echo bitch._

He had jumped on the opportunity to bring her in when it was demonstrated that she might be working for the enemy. It was an opportunity to bring her down a few pegs and make people see that she wasn't the hero everyone made her out to be. Then he had to find out that she was a Ghost and that really fucked up his day. In the end though… He brought her in but all it ended up doing was getting him pegged as the guy that brought a Ghost in like a prisoner.

It was no wonder that Charlie Team had been busted down in terms of the assignments. Reed looked up and looked around before leaning the back of his head against the wall. He really had no one to blame but himself on this. Hell if he had done better, they could have made it to Kranz and he would still have his team. Instead, he fucked up and now most of his team had been executed except for him and Garrison and he was stuck with two people that were probably going to be caught in the crossfire if that bastard came back to interrogate them.

"It is no use trying to blame yourself," Valles said as he looked across at Reed. When he caught the soldier's eye, he continued, "I was the one that overcorrected and we got hit. So it would be easier to blame me."

Reed raised his brow at Valles, "Think so?"

"Might as well blame me too since I didn't scrub the cargo," Jackson added with a shrug as he sighed tiredly.

"Plenty of blame to go around," Valles said. He looked at Reed in the eye. "The question is: what are you going to do about it?"

Reed knew what was being asked of him. He could sit and mope but then that would get them nothing. Besides, it was like a cardinal rule that POWs did everything in their power to escape and RTB. Or you held out as long as you can until someone came or the end of the war came. In this case, the most likely scenario was torture and for information on their cargo. So escape was it.

Aware that the enemy could be listening in, Reed adjusted his body and starting doing hand signals in a slow and covert way while he said, "Ever play baseball, Valles?"

Valles looked at Reed with a look of confusion until he noticed what the lieutenant was doing. He stuttered slightly in replied, "Y-yeah. High school. Pitcher."

Reed nodded with a grin in approval. This was probably the stupidest thing but at least they could put some confusion on the enemy. "Good at the fastball?"

"Never saw it coming. No-hitter game senior year," Valles replied with a slight smile.

"Nice. Always wanted to play," Reed nodded as he adjusted to a more casual and comfortable as it could get position. "Never was good enough. Football was more my thing. And I don't mean soccer." He shook his head like it was stupid that soccer was referred to that.

"Well soccer is one of the older sports known…" Jackson started in on the conversation and shrank back slightly when Reed and Valles looked at him.

Reed watched Jackson's reaction and thought that he really had a nerd in the ranks. It made him think that the army was desperate for recruits and only signed him up because of his brains. He raised his brow at Jackson and said, "Soccer is a sissy game. Football you at least hit someone."

"All sports have contact," Jackson countered firmly.

Reed smirked at the reaction. This was going to work out better than he thought. "Sometimes you have to hit hard if you really want to win. It's why I like football." He looked Jackson in the eye and nodded slightly before looking over at Valles and getting a nod from the man as well. He sat back and grinned. It seemed that they might have a means of escape or at least a plan to resist.

* * *

"I thought we were looking for an asset?"

"We are. This is just another part of what the drop off was," Sequoia said as she put the drive into the computer she had borrowed. She knew that it was hardly relevant for her to be looking at it but she had a hunch on this one. She tapped a few keys and entered coding that she suspected might work. When the screen changed she gave a quiet, "Hooah."

The screen showed a set of file folders. Sequoia didn't need to open them to know what they were, at least the idea of what they were. She knew that this was the information that the asset had collected and hidden. He knew that he was going to be part of a convoy and hid it in plain sight. She grinned, "Nice."

Harris had been watching her while Logan, Keegan and Hesh were checking out FOB Kranz and determining what had happened to make it so that they didn't hear the call for help from the convoy. It was more like an order from Hesh that he stay with her even though the devil MWD she had was there along with Riley. She was covered in his opinion but he wasn't going to question orders even if it was from a superior that he had a beef with.

Peering at the screen, he looked at what she was looking at and asked, "What is that?"

"What the asset was ordered to bring in," Sequoia replied as she ran a quick scan on the files. "The intel Command was waiting for from Freefall."

Harris nodded and then asked, "Okay, so then why was it left behind? Why did they take the asset?"

"Not sure. Intel is valuable and the Federation certainly would want it to be recovered," Sequoia replied as she went through the files. She couldn't resist and had to glimpse at them.

"Then they did a lousy job."

Sequoia made a slight sound at that. At face value it seemed like that. Typically if they caught a spy with intel, they would have apprehended it and destroyed it. And that was after they determined there wasn't anything else on it like a virus or whatever. This play the Federation did was most unusual but she suspected that it had more to do with the asset or just an opportunity to show them that they had something of theirs and they wanted them to chase them. Who knew the motivation but the bottom line was that they had an asset and they had a spec ops team leader. Those two things were a dangerous combination in of itself. A spy and a team leader had access to information that couldn't be gotten by just any grunt so they were in some deep shit.

Sequoia knew the concern about the asset and Charlie Leader. As much as she had a dislike of Reed, he was still a soldier and he had information about their side. She was worried that he might break. The asset was different since he went through the same shit she did. It took herculean efforts and then some; it went beyond the whole above and beyond the call of duty thing to break a Freefall asset. It wasn't to say that it couldn't be done because they were human. It was just that it was a lot harder to do so since the imagination was pitched at them.

Most of the files on the drive were standard intel about various things. Sequoia didn't bother with them since that was the analysts' job and then the missions were assigned. She just wanted to see if there was anything that the asset might have left behind that would affect the outcome of what they were eventually going to have to do aka rescue mission. She just had to find it and look for it in places that were not readily apparent.

Freefall operatives were all trained in the secret stealthy shit, as she called it. The ones that went on to the equivalent of CIA type of shit learned a few more tricks and she learned them herself. It was a game meant for no friends and trust no one but that was not practical in her mind. As a hunter, if you were taking out several of your prey, it was best to work with a party or partner. Taking that advice, she made friendships and within that came with the means of talking to one another when official channels were dangers; a back door to ward off disaster kind of thing. She was looking for this one.

It was expected to find a message but what Sequoia found was a file. It was heavily encrypted and from what she could tell, it was a video/audio file. It was what she was looking for since she recognized the coding signature of the encryption. "Got it."

Harris had been looking around and feeling bored. He kept a respectable distance from Bear since that mutt was actually watching him and everything that came within inches of Sequoia. He had heard her comment and walked over asking, "Found something?"

"Pretty much," Sequoia replied as she tapped the keys. "Looks like the asset had more than what Command was asking for."

"Can you open it?"

"Negative."

Harris made a slight sound at that. "Computer crap."

"Don't knock it. It's what keeps us in the fight after all," Sequoia replied with a slight grin. She shifted and looked at Harris. Maybe it wasn't the time to ask but then again whenever was there a good time in this line of work? Besides if there was dissention in the ranks, then that meant that what Rorke wanted was coming to pass. The thought sent a shiver up her spine since she couldn't forget the way he crooned at her and tried to get her to turn traitor. He was gone now but that had failed to set her at ease. There was that nagging doubt from her gut and it bothered her.

Deciding that it was time to bite the bullet, she turned to look at Harris full on. She addressed her weapons specialist, "Shotgun, answer me something."

Harris heard the request and snapped to. It was born out of his time with Echo Team and it was an automatic response. All of their team members knew that when she started to speak like that, she meant business. He looked at her and replied, "What do you need?"

"What is going on between you and Hesh?"

Harris felt like he wanted to squirm. He knew that he had been close to borderline insubordinate with Hesh and this mission he had done the same to her. He knew that she wouldn't have missed it and was only being silent out of respect for Hesh's command. He could brush it off but he knew from experience that it was a bad idea. She wouldn't run and tattle but she had her ways of making you talk that wasn't physical torture. He knew this and yet replied, "Nothing."

"Nothing my ass. You've been like this since you guys found me." Sequoia sat up straight and crossed her arms over her chest. "Spill."

Harris swallowed slightly as he took in her appearance. They were still wearing their camo paint and she looked like she was ready to go in for the kill. She was scary even without the war paint. Taking a breath he replied, "Um… just… just that…" He couldn't say anything and he looked at her with a look that begged for a reprieve but he didn't get it. Finally he said, "Just that you guys are good with each other after what he and his brother did to you. To us."

"You mean…"

"The whole thing when we took down LOKI," Harris continued. Now that she had gotten him to spill, he couldn't shut up. It just poured out. "He tied you up and left you there. His brother put me in a sleeper hold."

Sequoia stared at Harris. It was a surprise that he was still sore about that. She had long forgiven Hesh and Logan for that. She understood where they were coming from and while she had been pissed, she had seen how much it bothered them and how much it hurt Hesh in particular. Hesh still had this belief that any malice towards him was well deserved that lingered. Logan was cheerful as usual but occasionally he lapsed into thoughtfulness too. "And I forgave them for that. I knew where they were going with it."

"Still doesn't make it right. And I know he has feelings for you." Harris leaned in to whisper the latter half of that statement. "Sheer nerve of it."

"And it was because of those feelings that he did what he did. He regrets it." She looked at Harris with a firm look. She could mention that she was Elias' goddaughter but decided against it. Only the Walker boys, Keegan, Merrick and Kick knew of that and it was a silent consensus between them not to mention it. "You need to let it go. Don't think I haven't noticed you borderline insubordination. I have and if I have than means Hesh and Merrick have. Do you want to be kicked off?"

Harris sucked in the air. He honestly did like being part of the team. He was just angry. "No," he replied in a low voice.

"I don't want to see you gone either. And I don't think Merrick wants that. He considered my recommendation but ultimately he picked you for his reasons and not to fill in a slot." Sequoia knew she was laying it on thick and while it would be Hesh's and Merrick's job, she felt that maybe she should step in since she knew the man better. "Hell, they threw us together because of your skill set."

Harris let out a small grin. He remembered that. "I remember. I'm sorry." He shuffled a bit on his feet. "I was and still am angry. I'll work on it."

Sequoia stared at Harris. She knew he was a man of his word. She sensed though that there was more to it. It was something she hadn't really noticed before and if she had been in the role of interrogator, she would have gone in for the kill. Now though it seemed that he had enough. She could only hope that Hesh wouldn't mind her interference. "Okay then. But if I do see the crap again…"

"I know. You'll put in the word and I would have earned it."

"Damn straight." It was firm but Sequoia gave a slight smile to show that she was trusting him to keep his word.

Harris knew that she was giving him the leash. It was up to him not to strangle or hang himself with it. He owed her that much and then some. And she was right. He was being a little unfair but he had reasons that were not just the ones he gave. They were private and maybe he could talk it out with Hesh. He nodded in agreement, "Okay."

Sequoia nodded and turned back to the computer just as Hesh and the other Ghosts came in. She glanced at them and said, "Just in time." She gestured at the screen.

"What is that, Hawk?"

"The reason we need to get the asset back. Looks like he found something that is super important and only he can unlock it."

"Pretty hard to do with little leads," Keegan voiced.

Sequoia figured that as she looked at the encrypted file. She leaned back in her seat before swiveling to look at the others. She had an idea and it might work. "Do we have access to eyes in the sky and around Kranz?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Reed decides to make friends with his fellow captors and plans escape. Hawk has a talking to with Harris and looking for leads. Stay tuned for next time on Freefall...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"It's late."

Sequoia smiled softly but didn't turn in the direction of the voice. She just kept petting Bear and rubbing his ears. She teased, "Could say the same to you, sir."

Hesh made a face and groaned, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Sequoia turned to smirk at Hesh as he approached her. "You are team leader. I am the Freefall asset."

"And a Ghost," Hesh growled. He hefted himself up to sit on the tree root that she had placed herself on. He laid his weapon across his lap to be within easy reach. "If anything…"

"Don't go there, Shappa," she interrupted. She smiled gently as she shook her head. "I did lead a team and I was the team leader. Not my job anymore."

"You're better I think."

Sequoia hummed at that. She didn't think so. She did what she did as Echo leader because it seemed right. Command thought she did good and kept her there though she was certain that she wasn't any good. Elias must have seen something which was why he requested her team be placed under his command though it was laced with the fact that he was protecting family too. "I'm not that. I just… I just know how to get the job done."

"You can fool everyone else but not me," Hesh countered as he looked at her. "And not any one of us on the Ghosts."

Sequoia smiled gently as she studied the intense and expressive look Hesh was giving her. "Maybe," she finally allowed. "I mean I guess I did have a few ideas of what a team should be." She gave a lopsided grin at that.

"And the stories are still told," Hesh grinned in agreement. He looked out at the jungle and sighed. As much as he wanted to be openly affectionate, he couldn't and it wore down on him but it was bolstered by the sheer fact that they were still together on the same team. Sometimes he had pessimistic thoughts about the other shoe dropping and she was reassigned. Most of the time, aside from the urgency of the job, he was happy just getting any time with her. It was more than he could hope for.

Sequoia hummed and smiled at that. She was tempted to reach over and grab his hand but they were hardly in a position to do so without getting caught by someone on base. She didn't want any trouble falling back on Hesh or the Ghosts but it frustrated her to no end that she couldn't be as free to express what she truly felt. She wasn't a prisoner to it since they had their moments and the best being when they shared a bed. In all honesty, she was grateful that she had been able to come back to them and she tried not to waste a minute of it.

It caught her off guard when she felt her hand grasped and held in his strong and gentle grip. She looked at him as she tried to take her hand back but he refused. He looked back at her with a look that told her to let him indulge so she relented. She knew that she could have refused since they were more or less the same rank but she didn't since in honest truth, she wanted the same thing. She stopped struggling and held still. She teased him, "You are taking a big risk."

"So?"

"Rebel."

Hesh chuckled at her reply. He was hardly that. "No. Just taking an opportunity," he grinned slightly at that.

Sequoia chuckled with him. It was rare that Hesh broke out of being careful and throw caution to the wind and it impressed her. It showed what attracted her to him since day one despite the fact that they didn't quite like each other at first. It was more like what she would do in the old days. She admitted, "And I like that about you."

Hesh leaned into her and gave her a gentle bump. He looked at her and replied, "And it's what like about you." He sighed when he saw how close he was to her face. "God, it's hard. You have any idea how badly I want to kiss you right now?"

Sequoia looked into Hesh's pine green eyes, mesmerized by his gaze. He held hers as she held his and it was how they sparred. Her chest panged and she felt like she was out of air but it was the good kind. "As much as I want to do the same with you."

Hesh stared at her lips as they moved. His eyes moved to take in her face. He took in the scar on her brow from when she 'fell out of a tree', the smoothness of her skin even covered in camo paint and her hair… black and silky smooth like a hawk's wing. He schooled himself to resist touching her in a manner that would be considered inappropriate and it was killing him. If it weren't for the nights they shared, he may have gone insane and did something completely reckless. Sighing, he held fast to her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Sequoia looked at Hesh. She wanted to touch him badly but she accepted the hand squeeze. She returned it with one of her own before tugging his hand to her lap. She used her other hand to run over it, feeling the scarring from the year old injury. Her fingertips ran along the scar. "At least we have this."

Hesh watched as she caressed his hand, feeling the scar. He fought to steady his breathing and relaxed his hand. "True. And every moment I spend with you, I treasure it."

"As do I." Sequoia looked up and smiled at Hesh. She sighed deeply and content and shifted to look out into the jungle. She adjusted her position to sit a little closer to him while keeping an eye on things. "I just hope what I know… won't do anything to…"

"We'll just have to work it through. I'm not letting you go without a fight, Hawk." Hesh looked at her with an intense expression. He repeated, "I'm not letting you go."

Sequoia smiled, knowing that he meant it. He did come looking for her and never lost hope that they would see each other again when she was gone those three months. He was a man of his word. He kept his promises. "I know."

Hesh nodded as he turned to look out at the jungle. He didn't like the situation but he was going to make the best of it. He adjusted his weapon and assumed the position of guard and noted she did the same. He knew he had to get to business. He said, "The CO of Kranz said that the com lines had been on the fritz for a while and then they just gave out."

"Hmm. Convenient huh?"

"Way too much." Hesh looked out at the landscape. "Harris actually was neutral and suggested that it was jungle conditions." He chuckled a little at that. "I guess your talk with him helped."

Sequoia shot a look at Hesh as he sat there, looking ahead. She could lie about it but that would just make things awkward and heading down towards the bad road. Besides they had enough stress with their relationship as it was not being able to show as much affection as they wanted. Sucking it up, she replied, "I didn't mean to overstep but…"

"It's okay." Hesh didn't look at her. He figured that she had said something. Harris had worked with her before and would have more likely talked to her. He had been a little upset if he wanted to look at that closer but in the end, he wasn't as mad as he could have been. Besides, Harris had been a bit rough with her too. So she had as much right. "Besides, he was rough with you, too," he said and looked at her. "And it took a lot to not bust his chops."

"Knowing you, it would be jumping him and pulling his kidney out through his throat." Sequoia looked ahead and then glanced at Hesh with a smirk. "You've done it plenty with a foolish FNG every now and then."

"Actually that is you with letting them have it," Hesh countered, "After a workout teaching Logan or your victim of choice a new move." He turned away and chuckled. "Nice knowing someone who knows how to get close and personal."

"It's a gift."

Hesh laughed at that. It was more than a gift. She was a natural and that wasn't just because she had been training since she was a little girl. He was starting to believe that she had been born as a warrior. "Right. Cause you're a born warrior."

"Don't you forget it… sir." Sequoia emphasized her point with a finger to Hesh's shoulder. She smirked at him as she adjusted her weapon.

"Don't start on that," Hesh warned with a slight grin. "Just because I'm team leader…"

Sequoia waved her hand, saying, "Alright, alright." Then to tease him she started going off in her mother tongue. It was mostly nonsense but she knew enough to make it sound like she was scolding him. She started emphasizing with her hands and started imitating her mother when she used to scold her father. Mostly it was about ridiculous things that were nonconsequential on a FOB base.

Hesh widened his eyes as he watched Sequoia start yelling, well not exactly yelling, at him and in her native tongue. He had no idea what she was saying. He figured it had something to do with him since she gestured at him and she was standing now and Bear was doing that low rumble in his chest. "Hawk…"

Sequoia turned towards him and grinned as she let out the last of her tirade. She smirked at him and lowered her hands. If she wasn't holding her weapon, she would have clasped her hands in front of her and continue to smile at him like an innocent girl. She said nothing as she twisted at her waist smirking at Hesh before saying, "You're lucky all I did was rant on the weather." She chuckled before turning to head back into the base. She paused only to call Bear to her side and then give Hesh a grin before wishing him good night.

Hesh stared at her with a wide opened mouth. He managed to close it and start chuckling. He shook his head at the fact that he had been had. Normally that would have resulted in a talking to but even he knew that soldiers needed to blow off steam. Harmless fun was to be expected in all forms. Sometimes it was your fists like the occasional sparring bouts, unspoken of blowing off steam aka sex, or pranks. The last one was one done on Keegan. That had been a doozy since it ended up with the man getting a tattoo on the back of his left shoulder and the quiet man actually cursing up a storm. The tattoo stayed and the culprits never caught but it was a good laugh and one told to every new FNG that entered base.

Hesh always suspected that it was his brother. He couldn't prove it though and let it go by telling Keegan that his ranting was making him look like an idiot. He did catch Logan grinning every time the quiet sniper walked by and once maybe a snicker. So it was inevitable that he would be caught in some form of teasing. Well it happened on occasion from Sequoia. The problem was that her teasing came when he least expected it and that turned him on and encouraged him to figure out something to get her back on. That was his own form of spec ops and he liked the challenge.

Sighing, Hesh hopped off the root and turned to head back in. His team wasn't on patrol. More or less they were guests. If they needed help, they would ask and they were under orders to help out if there was anything related to their mission of finding the missing asset. The good news was that the collected intel was secure and Sequoia had found out that there was something on the drive that was not part of the intel and was very important. The bad news was that the asset was still missing and he had information that could be valuable if he was broken.

Hesh walked through the base, looking around with Riley at his side. His thoughts were on the mission and what else they could look for if they were going to find this asset and keep Command from finding another reason to put the Ghosts under scrutiny. Even though it had been a year since Sequoia's recovery, they were still on a tight leash even with the colonel's help. It was a frustrating thing and in the end maybe it was warranted since he and Logan did go after Rorke against orders… sort of. That was the whole consequences for actions lesson there and they were paying for it. The best to do was do the job. So that was what he was going to do. He would check in with the tech guys assigned to the FOB and see what they were able to do about the encrypted file.

Hesh was walking through when a soldier called out to him. He recognized him as one of guys who was a sort of escort around the base. He waved him over. "What is it?"

"General Barrett wants to speak with you. About the com problem." The soldier, a private was out of breath and it looked like he had been running around to find him. "The cause."

Hesh looked at the private. He had met the general and got the impression that he ran a tight ship and had been pissed about his com problem. He was even more pissed about the convoy and the fact that there were missing soldiers and some had been executed. If the general wanted him to talk to him, then that meant there was a serious problem. He replied, "Take me to him."

* * *

"So this is the bastard that made it hard for Kranz to help them out?" Harris shook his head as he looked through the window at the prisoner. He walked away looking ready to punch someone. He paused a little when he got close to Hesh and moved away to give him space. "Sounds like a traitor to me."

"He was checked and the ID he stolen was from a guy of ours. He killed him and used his ID to get onto base," Keegan asserted as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "No one questioned it."

"Maybe they should've," Harris countered.

Hesh held up a hand to keep the argument from escalating, "Should've yes but according to General Barrett, the ID was for an FNG. No one had seen him before. It made sense to assume." He looked at Harris with a firm look that told him to button up.

"Fair enough," Harris conceded. He couldn't argue with that. The whole thing made him angry. Too many of their men had been killed and even though they pushed the Federation back, they still were in a fight. "It just doesn't sit right," he added in a softer tone.

Hesh nodded his agreement as he crossed his arms over his chest. At that moment, Logan asked, "So what are we doing now? Isn't Command sending someone to question?"

Hesh looked at Logan. As much as Logan understood the situation like everyone else, the question still had to be asked. He replied, "We already have an interrogator on site." He glanced over at the door to the tent where he could see through the glass what was going on. "Hawk."

Keegan followed Hesh's gaze and saw through the window Hawk as she was talking to the general. No doubt she was protesting the whole thing. He didn't blame her since more than likely she would have to get nasty. He did see her magic at work when they found her and he didn't count her intimidation of Ramos. As she said, it was a party trick, but it worked. "You sure about this?"

Hesh looked at Keegan. No doubt the older Ghost was questioning him as a means of testing his feelings. He didn't like it either but they had a job to do. He didn't like that she might be plagued with bad memories but… "We have a job to do and that is to retrieve the asset. The com breakdown was no coincidence. It was deliberate and may be connected. We need to find out and Hawk is trained for it."

Keegan looked at Hesh and studied his expression. He had known for a long time the kid's feelings, both of theirs. He was impressed that they managed to keep a working relationship with each other in front of the brass while still managing to have some sort of a relationship. It was grounds for some sort of punishment but even Merrick wasn't cruel about it. They did their jobs and didn't let feelings get in the way but sometimes… "Alright then," he said.

Hesh looked at the older man, "I don't like it either but this is our mission." He glanced at the others. He saw Logan's silent confirmation that he had his back and Harris was giving a nod that was less surly than earlier. He looked back at Keegan. "We do the job and bring the asset home as well as any survivors."

"Copy that," Keegan replied nodding.

At that moment Sequoia came into the holding tent with General Barrett. She was holding a file folder and had stripped down to her ACU pants and t-shirt. Her tags hung around her neck and her hair was neatly coiled at the nape of her neck. Her camo paint had been washed off but hastily so there were a few smudges. Not that it mattered. She wasn't going for pretty.

"All I want is to know what the hell he is doing here on my base and you can ask whatever you want to get what you need," Barrett was saying to her.

Sequoia looked at the general and nodded, "Understood sir. Just to be clear, the MPs need to stay clear of the room. Outside the door is fine and my team here can help."

Barrett looked at her with a poignant look, "Whatever you need, Falcon. Slayton said you were the best." He looked at her as if daring her to contradict that assessment. He put his hands behind his back and added, "I don't care if you make him piss in his pants. Just get it done."

"Wilco," Sequoia replied as she tucked the file under her arm. She glanced at the other Ghosts. The last face she looked at was Hesh and her gaze sharpened. She gave him a nod and proceeded to open the door to the interrogation room.

Barrett watched her go in with no fear, no trepidation… nothing but calm. He pursed his lips and then glanced at the Ghosts, "No fear in that one."

Hesh responded since he was the team leader, "She was trained for it, sir." He adjusted his stance to appear more respectful since he was in the presence of a general.

"I know that." Barrett relaxed his stance and looked at the team leader. He had heard of the Ghosts and that they were instrumental in getting the barriers down that helped them take down LOKI as well as taking out a traitor. They were the ones that got things done; they didn't stop until the mission was completed. "She's one of Slayton's but there is something about her that you just can't help but admire."

Hesh nodded respectfully, "You have probably heard of her team Echo."

"Defenders of the wall."

It felt awkward with the general standing in there with the Ghosts. It was like having the principal come in and watch your class. Everyone felt stiff in his presence. Hesh knew he had to relax and set an example. He nodded, "One of many teams near Fort Santa Monica."

Barrett looked at Hesh with a raised brow. He knew the younger soldier was being polite as rank dictated and respected that. "Indeed. I heard you were good as well. Viking was it?"

"Yes sir."

"I wouldn't expect less from the sons of Elias Walker." He glanced over at Logan who was standing near the door and watching the proceedings. He looked back at Hesh who was standing there with a respectful stance, not giving away anything. "Anyway, I am glad the Ghosts are on this. The coms outage just burns my biscuits."

"I can imagine, sir."

"Lieutenant," Barrett countered after pacing. He looked at Hesh as he relayed his request/order, "We have the encrypted file being examined. Perhaps it will go quicker if your tech specialist were to help. Might clear this up."

Hesh considered that. True that it would help if they had a hand in it. He refrained since it was a matter of respect for the chain of command. The only other person he knew of that would be able to do that was… He nodded and replied, not breaking his gaze with the general, "Logan. Help them out."

Logan looked at his brother staring at the general. He wasn't sure what was going on but the tension was palpable even though his best friend was fairly relaxed going in. He glanced into the interrogation room and then back at Hesh. "Copy that." He picked up his gear and left to head to the tech tent.

Hesh waited until his brother left before asking, "Do you require anything else, sir?"

"Word." The general walked out of the tent and gestured for Hesh to follow.

Hesh tensed a little but he didn't let it show. He followed the general after shooting a look to Keegan that clearly meant that he was to keep an eye on Sequoia and to be there if she needed help. It wasn't that he didn't think that she could do it. He was concerned that the prisoner might try something and she might need backup. Getting that from the elder Ghost, he followed the general out of the tent and joined him. He didn't say anything but his presence indicated he was asking what the general wanted.

General Barrett, pulled out a cigar and held it in his fingers. He slowly put it in his mouth and lit it. "Tell me something: what are you doing with a Freefall asset?"

Hesh stood there, not sure if this was a trick question or not. "Falcon is a member of my team. A Ghost, sir."

Barrett looked up as he puffed out smoke. "Don't try to be protective, Lieutenant. I know about Freefall. I am curious."

Hesh straightened a little about it. He looked at the general and replied, "We're investigating and retrieving the PC from the convoy that was ambushed."

"Which happens to be one of Slayton's assets," Barrett answered poignantly. He was liking Hesh more and more for keeping his cool. He wished he had more like him under his command. "Well that's perfect. Like we need those Fed bastards snaking anything else."

"I doubt the asset would give in so easily," Hesh offered as he adjusted his weapon. He hadn't unpacked his gear since he had his initial meeting with the general. "From my understanding, they are trained not only in interrogation methods but anti interrogation as well as more… persuasive forms of interrogation."

Barrett nodded as he took a puff of his cigar. He looked at his base and thought about things for a moment. He knew that the soldier next to him was probably anxious to know what was going on and as much fun as he had making soldiers squirm, he knew better than to mess with a spec ops teams. He finally said, "I know. Which makes me wonder why Slayton has you guys under his command but I'm not going to question it. At least Charles' little girl is doing well."

"Excuse me, sir?"

Barrett grinned and looked at Hesh, "You know what I mean." He chuckled at the expression on Hesh's face. He explained, "Charles was a good friend of mine. We went through the ranks together. He would have been general himself now."

"Sir, Falcon is a member of…"

"And in good hands. I heard good things about you, Lieutenant," Barrett interrupted, enjoying the reaction. "And your father was a good man." He turned to look at Hesh full on. "Look, I'm not going to bust your chops. Anything you need of Kranz, let me know."

Hesh straightened slightly. "Thank you sir."

Barrett nodded and took a puff of his cigar. He muttered for Hesh to carry on and to let him know what they found out. He paused a moment to let slip, "Oh, by the way. Don't be afraid to take a chance. There is a way to work things out with the brass." He gave a wink for good measure.

Hesh could only stare at the general. He had a moment of panic since it was clear that the general suspected his relationship with Sequoia. And yet he seemed supportive but it made him nervous anyway. He shook his head to clear it. He would have to worry about it later. Right now he had to worry about the interrogation and their next steps. He turned and headed back into the tent just as he heard a crash and then a sickening thud.

"I think you are what I tell you to be."

* * *

 **A/N:** Some down time at FOB Kranz and figuring out what happened and an interrogation. What a way to go and see ya next time on Ghost Ops: Freefall...


End file.
